“It is very ironic that we demand high quality, yet 42 percent of our lecturers still earn less than Rp3 million per month,” Chairperson of DPR Commission X Hetifah Sjaifudian said before the academic community of Mulawarman University here on Friday.
She assessed that such income levels are far from adequate to support the professionalism of educators amid rising living costs and academic demands.
Sjaifudian ensured that the bill on the National Education System (Sisdiknas) will be prioritized for discussion in 2025 as a legal framework to safeguard the financial rights of lecturers.
One crucial point in the regulation is the guarantee of a professional allowance of at least one month’s basic salary for lecturers, both at public and private institutions.
The government has also prepared a budget allocation of Rp61.87 trillion in the 2026 Fiscal Year to support a more prosperous higher education ecosystem.
Part of the budget will be distributed for affirmative scholarships and the accelerated doctoral program (PMDSU) to enable lecturers to improve their qualifications without being burdened by educational costs.
Meanwhile, the ministry's Director of Resources, Sri Suning Kusumawardani, stated that the ministry is improving the governance of financial rights disbursement for lecturers.
Administrative service systems have been gradually integrated to ensure that each allowance and financial right is distributed accurately and without bureaucratic obstacles.
The ministry recorded that data validation processes currently reach 500 to 1,000 entries per day to accelerate administrative procedures for lecturers.
She reminded that achieving the highest academic rank should be set as a primary goal, as it directly correlates with increases in welfare.
“Young lecturers are encouraged to consistently allocate time for research and publication so that their career progression and welfare can improve in parallel,” Kusumawardani said.
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Translator: Ahmad, Kenzu
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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