Then education, culture, research and technology minister Nadiem Makarim signed Ministerial Regulation No. 44/2024 in September, a month before his term ended. The regulation serves as a legal basis for lecturers’ salaries and career paths.

But Higher Education, Science and Technology Minister Satryo Soemantri Brodjonegoro decided to postpone the implementation of the new regulation.

“[The new regulation] mandated the payment of a performance allowance. Why did it just take effect now? It has become my burden now,” Satryo said on Wednesday, as quoted by kompas.com.

He said that his ministry’s allocated budget was insufficient to pay the performance allowances following an interim evaluation on the regulation. Satryo added that he asked the Finance Ministry to increase the ministry’s budget to cover the gap needed to fully pay the performance allowances of all lecturers.

When President Prabowo Subianto was sworn into office in October, he split the former education, culture, research and technology ministry into three ministries, including the Higher Education, Science and Technology Ministry. The split also affected the budget allocated to each ministry.

In a circular dated Dec. 17, Satryo wrote that the ministry had received recommendations from various parties in the higher education sector on the ministerial regulation, prompting the interim evaluation.

The regulation signed by Nadiem mandates allowances for lecturers, including performance, functional and honorary allowances, with the latter only to be disbursed to lecturers meeting several requirements.

The new policy also requires lecturers to take competency tests to get a promotion, rather than using credit scores as mandated by previous regulations.