Demak, Central Java – Indonesia is making a ample investment in its teaching workforce, with plans to offer undergraduate scholarships to 150,000 teachers by 2026. It’s a big jump from last year, and a signal that the country is serious about boosting education quality from the ground up.
teacher Training Gets a Major Boost in Indonesia
A new scholarship program aims to upskill educators, especially those working with young learners.
- The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education will fund scholarships for 150,000 teachers.
- The program focuses on early childhood, elementary, and junior high school educators.
- Scholarships are valued at Rp3 million per semester.
- Teachers can complete their degrees in about one year through a Recognition of prior Learning scheme.
- Completion of the degree leads to eligibility for the Teacher Professional Education (PPG) program and professional allowances.
“This program is part of the goverment’s efforts to improve the quality and professionalism of educators, particularly early childhood, elementary, and junior high school teachers,” Mu’ti stated.
The program leverages a Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) scheme,a clever approach that recognizes teachers’ practical experience as academic credit. “With the RPL scheme, teaching experience is calculated and recognized by universities, so the S1 program can be completed in about one year,” Mu’ti explained. This accelerated path to a bachelor’s degree is designed to make higher education more accessible for working teachers.
But it doesn’t stop at a bachelor’s degree. Upon completion of their studies, teachers will be eligible to participate in the Teacher Professional Education (PPG) program, leading to full teaching certification. This certification unlocks access to professional allowances, a tangible benefit aimed at improving teacher welfare. “Once they have an S1 degree, they can join the PPG program, obtain certification, and then become eligible for the teacher professional allowance. This is not only about meeting formal requirements, but also about improving welfare,” Mu’ti added.
mu’ti emphasized the crucial link between teacher quality, teacher welfare, and the advancement of a skilled workforce. He believes that investing in educators is paramount to achieving high-quality education, which, in turn, requires both adequate facilities and competent teachers.
Related: The Ministry recently allocated Rp7.3 billion to further enhance teacher education quality.
Also: Indonesia is concurrently focusing on upgrading school infrastructure alongside these teacher quality improvements.
