Sri Mulyani Denies Video Calling Teachers State Burden: Hoax, Deepfake

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati has denied a video claiming that she referred to teachers as a burden on the state, stating that the content is not an official statement from her. Through her official Instagram account, @smindrawati, she declared the video to be a hoax.

She stated that during her speech at the Indonesian Science, Technology, and Industry Convention at ITB on August 7, no such comment was made. “The widely circulated video is a hoax, a result of deepfake,” Sri wrote in her post, as seen on Tuesday, August 19, 2025.

Sri further explained that the video was created by splicing together several clips from her original speech. She urged the public to be more discerning when using social media. "In fact, I never stated that teachers are a burden on the state," she affirmed.

Deepfake technology is an attempt to manipulate digital content using artificial intelligence to make it appear authentic. This technology enables a creator to produce digital content that convincingly resembles a real person.

During her convention speech, Sri did address the issue of low salaries for teachers and lecturers, which has been a recurring topic on social media.

"In many instances on social media, I have always said that being a lecturer or a teacher is not appreciated because the salary is not high. This is also one of the challenges for the state's finances," Sri said, as quoted from the ITB's YouTube channel on Thursday, August 7, 2025.

The state treasurer highlighted that the issue of low teacher and lecturer salaries raises questions about funding sources. "Should everything come from state finances, or is there participation from the community?" she inquired.

However, she did not elaborate on what form of community participation she envisioned. These statements regarding teacher and lecturer salaries were made during a broader discussion about the education budget, which is allocated at Rp724.3 trillion for 2025.

The government divides its education funding into three clusters. Teacher and lecturer salaries fall under the second cluster. The first cluster is allocated for the benefit of students from elementary school to university, while the third is dedicated to infrastructure development.

Sri explained that the budget for teachers and lecturers covers various expenses, from salaries to performance bonuses. In her presentation, Sri mentioned that professional allowances for non-civil-servant teachers were provided to 477,700 teachers, while certification was aimed at 666,900 teachers.

Educational funds are also allocated for various programs, such as the Smart Indonesia Card (KIP) for 1.1 million students, the Smart Indonesia Program (PIP) for 20.4 million students, and School Operational Assistance (BOS) for 9.1 million students.

Additionally, the budget supports Operational Assistance for State Universities (BOPTN) for nearly 200 state campuses, LPDP scholarships, and digital learning initiatives.

Sri Mulyani has not yet responded to inquiries about her decision to disable comments on her Instagram account. As of the publication of this report, messages sent to her via WhatsApp showed only two gray checkmarks, indicating that they have been sent but not yet received or read.

Ilona Estherina contributed to the report.

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