JAKARTA – The government continues to demonstrate a strong commitment to maintaining the quality of national education by balancing budget efficiency and educational standards.
The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (Kemendikdasmen) ensures that priority programs will continue to run, even with the adjusted budget.
Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Abdul Mu’ti, emphasized that education programs that directly impact the community remain a priority.
Social assistance through the Indonesia Smart Program (PIP) for students from elementary to vocational schools will continue, as will allowances for non-state civil servant teachers in both public and private schools.
Salaries and allowances for Kemendikdasmen staff will also be fully met.
“We ensure that the efficiency measures do not disrupt the continuity of education programs or the welfare of educators,” said Abdul Mu’ti.
The budget adjustment from IDR 33.5 trillion to IDR 26.27 trillion aligns with Presidential Instruction (Inpres) No. 1 of 2025 on the efficiency of spending in the implementation of the state budget (APBN) and regional budgets (APBD).
Abdul Mu’ti added that the reallocated funds from the efficiency can still be discussed further to support other priority programs.
Chairperson of Commission X of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI), Hetifah Sjaifudian, praised Kemendikdasmen’s efforts to ensure the continued operation of education programs.
“It was explained that spending for Civil Servants (ASN) has been safeguarded, social assistance including PIP has been protected from cuts, and ongoing contracts and procurement expenditures will continue. The President’s Priority Programs have been allocated,” she said.
On the other hand, Prabowo Subianto’s spokesperson, Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak, criticized certain ministers who made statements about education efficiency via social media.
He emphasized that the efficiency measures target only misdirected budget allocations that do not directly impact public services or human resources.
“The President’s directive is very clear. Even restructuring has been done in case there were any misdirected allocations,” he asserted in a post on X.
With this policy, the government ensures that the efficiency measures do not sacrifice the quality of education. Instead, they are a strategic effort to ensure the sustainability of priority programs and the welfare of educators across Indonesia.
