The government is making efforts to enhance the quality of education through various policies, one of which is speeding up the teacher certification process. Deputy Minister of Religion (Wamenag) Romo HR Muhammad Syafi’i revealed that the government plans to complete the certification of all madrasah and pesantren teachers within two years, if possible. This step aims to ensure that every teacher holds a valid certification as proof of their competency in educating.
In addition to certification efforts, attention to teacher welfare is also a primary focus of the government. President of the Republic of Indonesia, Prabowo Subianto, has reiterated his commitment to seriously address the education sector, including improving the welfare of teachers.
The certification of non-civil servant (ASN) teachers is an important issue that needs immediate resolution. It is noted that over 500,000 non-ASN teachers currently do not have certification. The gradual certification process, certifying 50,000 teachers annually, is deemed too slow and requires acceleration. Wamenag has called for the certification process to no longer be staggered but completed within two years. This is expected to provide more non-ASN teachers with the opportunity to obtain certification and recognition of their competencies, ultimately enhancing the quality of teaching in madrasahs and pesantrens.
To expedite the certification process, the Ministry of Education and Culture (Kemendikdasmen) and the Ministry of Religion (Kemenag) have collaborated to design a program allowing religious teachers in public schools and general teachers in madrasahs to participate in the teacher professional education certification (PPG). This collaboration aims to create a scheme enabling these teachers to have equal opportunities to undergo PPG. Therefore, Kemendikdasmen and Kemenag will gather data on the number of these teachers as an initial step to formulate a more efficient and fair scheme.
One aspect being carefully considered is the accountability for financing and training these teachers. Most likely, Kemendikdasmen will cover the training costs for teachers in public schools, while Kemenag will conduct training for religious teachers, as they specialize in that field. Further discussions on this matter are ongoing to ensure the smooth implementation of PPG in line with the teachers’ needs.