Indonesia's Education Budget: Teachers' Plight Amidst Free Meal Program Expansion

Indah Permata Sari, an Indonesian public primary school teacher from Cibitung, highlighted the severe financial struggles of temporary teachers during a recent parliamentary hearing in Jakarta. Ms. Sari revealed that many temporary teachers, including herself, earn below the minimum wage and are often forced to take on additional jobs to supplement their meager incomes.

The Indonesian Teachers Association reports that approximately 700,000 "honorary teachers" nationwide face similar dire conditions. A 2025 survey by IDEAS and GREAT Edunesia further indicated that a staggering 74% of these teachers earn less than 2 million rupiah (approximately $170) per month, with some receiving as little as 500,000 rupiah ($43). Concerns about underpayment and delayed payments extend beyond temporary staff to teachers on civil service and government fixed-term contracts, with some salaries reportedly as low as 139,000 rupiah (about $11) monthly in regions like Dompu, West Nusa Tenggara.

Government Free Meal Program

While teacher wage issues persist, the Indonesian government has announced a significant shift in its education spending priorities. Nearly one-third of this year's national education budget is now allocated to the "Makan Bergizi Gratis" (MBG) free meal program. Championed by President Prabowo Subianto, this initiative aims to provide nutritious meals to around 83 million Indonesians by 2029. The program, which commenced in 2025, has already faced criticism regarding oversight, food sourcing, and kitchen hygiene.

A policy brief from IDEAS offered a stark alternative: the MBG budget could instead fund free basic education for all Indonesian children, provide scholarships for nearly 3 million impoverished students, and raise the salaries of 2.1 million honorary teachers to the provincial minimum wage.

The MBG budget could alternatively fund free basic education for all Indonesian children, provide scholarships for nearly 3 million impoverished students, and raise 2.1 million honorary teachers' salaries to the provincial minimum wage.

Budget Reallocation Impact

The government's decision to increase funding for the free meals program has drawn strong criticism from education advocacy groups. Iman Zanatul Haeri, head of teacher advocacy at the Education and Teachers Association, stated that the existing budget already struggled to secure teacher welfare, and the reallocation of approximately 233.5 trillion rupiah ($19.14 billion) makes the situation far more difficult.

Mr. Haeri noted that when the program started last year, utilizing 71 trillion rupiah ($6.04 billion) from the education budget, many teachers reported late and low salary payments. He added that the reallocation has also reduced funds transferred to regional education offices, affecting payments for both civil servant and honorary teachers.

Agustinus Nitbani's Experience

Agustinus Nitbani, a temporary teacher in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, with 23 years of service, has directly experienced these funding cuts. His salary, which was 600,000 rupiah ($42) in 2021, reportedly decreased to 223,000 rupiah ($19) per month this semester.

Civil Servant Appointments Controversy

A new controversy has emerged with the government's decision to appoint 32,000 free meal program kitchen workers as civil servants under work agreements. This policy has been questioned by teachers such as Jatmiko from North Sumatra, who views it as unfair to honorary teachers who have served for decades without job security. He highlighted that MBG kitchen workers and drivers reportedly earn more than many honorary teachers.

Dede Patimah, a maths teacher, urged the government to prioritize teacher welfare and questioned the rationale behind elevating kitchen staff to government-paid roles, especially if MBG is run by private operators.

Iman Zanatul Haeri suggested that the government's ability to appoint MBG kitchen workers overnight demonstrates that improving welfare, including for teachers, is a matter of "political will."

Constitutional Court Case

The significant allocation of nearly one-third of the education budget to the free meals program has prompted a lawsuit in the Constitutional Court. The petitioners, who include students, teachers, and a school foundation, seek to prevent education funds from being used for the MBG program. They request that the 2026 education budget be strictly allocated for core education functions, arguing that MBG allocations should not be part of it. They also contend that the 2026 budget violates the constitution's mandate of a minimum 20% education budget of the total spend.

Dadan Hindayana, Head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), responded to the lawsuit by stating that his agency only implements the funds and does not determine the national budget. President Prabowo Subianto declared the free meals program a success, noting that it had reached 60 million beneficiaries by February 1 with a reported 0.0087% incidence of poisoning among distributed meals. The agency plans to build 33,000 MBG kitchens this year to meet its target of 82.9 million recipients.