Unease Grips East Nusa Tenggara Teachers Over Impending Budget Cuts

Anxiety is palpable among contract teachers in East Nusa Tenggara following the provincial government's announcement of potential budget cuts targeting contract-based government employees (PPPK). Yani, a teacher at State Senior High School Kokbaun, voiced her fear of losing her job, which is her sole source of income, and the profound impact this could have on her students. She emphasized that education is a fundamental service, and sending teachers home would have enormous consequences.

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Education is a basic service. If teachers are sent home, the impact will be enormous.

This unease is widely shared. Nikodemus Eksol Nura, a teacher at State Vocational High School 1 Wewewa Timur, expressed similar concerns, highlighting the potential disruption to the teaching and learning process. He pointed out that some schools rely heavily on PPPK teachers, and their dismissal could leave critical subjects without instructors.

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Our school has only two math teachers, and both are PPPK. If we are laid off, who will teach?

The root of this anxiety lies in the impending implementation of Law No. 1/2022 on Fiscal Relations, which mandates that personnel spending must not exceed 30 percent of regional budgets from January 1, 2027. East Nusa Tenggara's current personnel expenditure significantly exceeds this threshold, standing at 40.29 percent at the provincial level and an average of 54.30 percent across regencies and cities. Governor Emanuel Melkiades Laka Lena acknowledged the necessity of drastic cuts, from approximately Rp2.14 trillion (US$126 million) to Rp1.59 trillion (US$93.5 million), warning that around 9,000 PPPK workers could face furlough if the law is fully enforced. This situation underscores the difficult balancing act faced by regional governments in adhering to fiscal regulations while maintaining essential public services.

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We have to cut personnel spending drastically from around Rp2.14 trillion (about US$126 million) to Rp1.59 trillion (US$93.5 million). If fully enforced, around 9,000 PPPK workers cannot be paid.