Indonesian Lecturer Tells Court His Rp3.3 Million Pay Is Too Low

Cenuk Widiayastrisna Sayekti, a non-civil servant lecturer at Airlangga University (Unair), testified before the Indonesian Constitutional Court about his monthly earnings. He stated that his total income amounts to approximately Rp3.3 million, which comprises a basic salary of Rp2.6 million, supplemented by various allowances.

These additional payments include a 'professional lecturer allowance,' a 'meal allowance,' and a 'rice allowance.' Despite these components, Cenuk's testimony has drawn significant public attention, shedding light on the financial realities faced by non-civil servant lecturers in Indonesia. His case is part of a legal challenge concerning lecturer functional allowances.

The petitioners in the case argue that Article 54 paragraph (1) of the Teacher and Lecturer Law lacks legal certainty. They contend that the law mentions government provision of functional allowances but fails to specify qualifications or guarantee that a lecturer's income is sufficient for basic living needs. Consequently, lecturer welfare is seen as dependent on individual university and government policies.

Cenuk's career trajectory illustrates the issue. He began lecturing in 2010 with a Rp1.2 million monthly salary. After obtaining a doctorate from Macquarie University in 2016 and receiving lecturer certification by 2020, his basic income at Unair in 2022 was still around Rp2.6 million. "This means that after more than a decade of being a lecturer, pursuing a doctorate, and obtaining the lecturer certification, my basic income as a lecturer still remains at a very limited level," Cenuk stated.

He further explained that the salary structure, heavily reliant on allowances outside the basic pay, does not provide sufficient security. This income uncertainty, he shared, has impacted his academic freedom. Cenuk recounted being summoned by superiors after criticizing a state institution on social media and participating in International Labor Day protests in 2025, which led to a reduced teaching load and exclusion from academic teams.

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When I started working at Airlangga University, the basic salary I received was around Rp2.6 million per month. This means that after more than a decade of being a lecturer, pursuing a doctorate, and obtaining the lecturer certification, my basic income as a lecturer still remains at a very limited level.