Bima District in Indonesia Faces Worrying Increase in Honorary Teachers

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The number of honorary teachers has significantly increased in Bima District, West Nusa Tenggara, over the past three years. The Head of the Education Agency of Bima District, West Nusa Tenggara, Zunaidin, stated that more than seven thousand honorary teachers have been appointed since 2022.

According to him, this situation arises due to the rising number of bachelor's degree graduates in the area, while employment opportunities are scarce. "What about our fellow citizens who have completed their bachelor's degree? The government is obliged to open up opportunities, as they are not seizing other people's rights," Zunaidin told Tempo during an interview at his office in Bima District, West Nusa Tenggara, on Wednesday, August 6, 2025.

The phenomenon of increasing honorary teachers is apparent in almost all schools in Bima District, with an average of 40 teachers per school. One example is SD Inpres Bala, Wera District, Bima, West Nusa Tenggara. SD Inpres Bala has 31 teaching staff, with 21 of them being honorary teachers. The school has a total of 112 students.

The Principal of SD Inpres Bala, Abdul Majid, mentioned that typically, he assigns four teachers per class for each teaching session. "But sometimes they do not show up, as there is no obligation for them to attend," he said at his office on Wednesday, August 6, 2025.

Majid explained that the surge in the number of voluntary teachers, a term used for honorary teachers in Bima District, occurred since the appointment of Civil Servant with Job Agreement (PPPK) employees. Graduates who were previously working as farmers or migrated to urban areas have flocked to apply to become honorary teachers. "With the hope of being appointed as civil servants in the future," he said.

The presence of these voluntary teachers poses a dilemma for Abdul Majid. On one hand, their presence burdens the school's operational assistance funds (BOS), with 50 percent of the funds used for their payment. However, on the other hand, the funds do not provide a decent living for the teachers.

Honorary teachers in Bima are paid an average of Rp 500,000 every six months. "But sometimes it is even less, depending on other needs," Majid said. He admitted his inability to reject applicants due to this being a common occurrence in all schools in Bima District.

The abundance of honorary teachers also occurs in SD Inpres Sangiangpulau, with 45 teachers, SD Swasta Miswora with 40 teachers, SMP 4 Wora with 70 teachers, and SD Negeri Teh with 25 teachers, while the number of students in each school is less than 150.

The Principal of SD Inpres Sangiangpulau, Muhammad Shalihin, mentioned that they work voluntarily. This means that the school's payment to the honorary teachers is uncertain and depends on the BOS funds they receive. "Nowadays, the government's regulation limits it to 20 percent of the BOS funds, so it's at most (one teacher) Rp 150,000 per semester," he said.

Shalihin admitted that he is troubled by the large number of honorary teachers. The budget, which was originally sufficient to provide a decent living for long-serving honorary teachers, now has to be divided among dozens of people. However, he also acknowledged his inability to reject them. "Well, how can we? There are many education graduates here, and the schools can only accommodate so many," he said.

In addition to the lack of employment opportunities, Zunaidin stated that social and cultural factors also contribute to many people in Bima District choosing to study education at the bachelor's level and work as honorary teachers despite not receiving proper wages.

He mentioned that culturally, the people of Bima view working as a teacher in a uniform as an indicator of one's success. "The important thing is to become a teacher first. Because here, being a teacher is the most noble status after the royal family," he said.

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