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View all search resultsUnfair, unjust employment
A ministry tasked with safeguarding core elements of education receives far less state funding than a presidential pet program, which endures oversight failure from the beginning.
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injustice for honorary teachers cartoon (JP/T. Sutanto)
G
ood news has arrived for thousands of employees within the Nutrition Fulfillment Service Units (SPPG). Barring any unforeseen scheduling changes, they will be officially appointed as government contract employees (PPPK) starting tomorrow. This promotion comes less than a year after they began serving in President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship free nutritious meal program.
However, this rapid path to job security stands in stark contrast to the misery of honorary teachers, many of whom have devoted over a decade of service without clear employment status or decent pay. Over time, this injustice has not only persisted but has seemingly been normalized by the state.
Rather than improving the quality of life for educators, a crucial pillar in shaping the nation’s “golden generation”, the government has repeatedly sidelined their rights. Ironically, the administration, which rose to power promising a suite of social welfare initiatives, has diverted resources that could have stabilized the teaching profession to instead finance its own signature programs.
After shifting a massive portion of the education budget to the free meals program, the government is now recruiting free-meal staff as PPPK. This policy openly discriminates against honorary teachers who have waited years, if not decades, for such coveted status.
Under Law No. 20/2023 on the State Civil Apparatus (ASN), PPPK employees enjoy benefits nearly equivalent to full civil servants, including family and professional allowances, a holiday bonus (THR), the 13th-month salary bonus, paid leave and social security.
Dadan Hindayana, head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) overseeing the free meals program, noted that these appointments are currently limited to SPPG heads, nutritionists and accountants. Meanwhile, kitchen staff, such as cooks and drivers, continue to work as volunteers under partner organizations.
Even with these limitations, the numbers are striking: 32,000 employees are slated for appointment tomorrow, joining the 2,080 appointed since last July. With two more recruitment waves planned, the program aims to induct a total of 99,000 personnel into the state apparatus.
