Strong Government Commitment to Education, Balancing Efficiency and Quality

JAKARTA – The government continues to demonstrate a strong commitment to maintaining the quality of national education by balancing budget efficiency and education quality.

The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (Kemendikdasmen) ensures that priority programs will continue to run even though budget adjustments have been made.

The Minister of Primary and Secondary Education (Mendikdasmen), Abdul Mu`ti, emphasized that education programs that have a direct impact on the community remain a priority.

Social assistance through the Smart Indonesia Program (PIP) for elementary to vocational high school levels remains available, as well as allowances for non-ASN teachers in public and private schools.

The salaries and allowances of Kemendikdasmen employees will also continue to be met.

“We ensure that efficiency measures do not disrupt the sustainability of education programs and the welfare of educators,” said Abdul Mu’ti.

The budget adjustment from IDR 33.5 trillion to IDR 26.27 trillion was carried out in line with Presidential Instruction (Inpres) Number 1 of 2025 concerning spending efficiency in the implementation of the APBN and APBD.

Abdul Mu’ti added that the allocation of efficiency results can still be discussed further to support other priority programs.

Chairperson of Commission X of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Hetifah Sjaifudian, appreciated the steps taken by the Ministry of Education and Culture in ensuring that education programs continue to run.

“Earlier it was explained that ASN spending was saved, Social Assistance including PIP could be saved from cuts, contracts and ongoing goods spending were ensured to continue. The President’s Priority Programs have been allocated,” he said.

On the other hand, Prabowo Subianto’s Spokesperson, Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak, reprimanded a number of ministers who made statements regarding education efficiency via social media.

He emphasized that efficiency only targets inappropriate budget allocations and does not have a direct impact on public services or human resources.

“The President’s order is very clear and clear. In fact, restructuring has been carried out in case there are still those who are misdirected,” he said in a post on X,

With this policy, the government ensures that efficiency steps do not sacrifice the quality of education, but rather become a strategic effort to ensure the sustainability of priority programs and the welfare of educators throughout Indonesia. (*)