Government efforts to improve the quality of education through various policies, such as accelerating the teacher certification process, are crucial for the advancement of education in Indonesia. Deputy Minister of Religious Affairs, Romo HR Muhammad Syafi’i, revealed the government’s plan 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 evidence of their competence in educating students.

In addition to certification efforts, the government’s primary focus is on the welfare of teachers. President of Indonesia, Prabowo Subianto, has repeatedly emphasized his commitment to giving serious attention to the education sector, including improving the welfare of teachers.

The issue of non-civil servant teacher certification is one that needs urgent resolution. Currently, there are over 500,000 non-civil servant teachers who do not have certification. The gradual certification process, certifying only 50,000 teachers per year, is deemed too slow and requires acceleration. The Deputy Minister of Religious Affairs has called for the certification process to be completed within two years, opening up opportunities for more non-civil servant teachers to obtain certification and recognition of their competencies. This, in turn, is expected to enhance the quality of teaching in madrasahs and pesantrens.

To expedite the certification process, the Ministry of Education and Culture, in collaboration with the Ministry of Religious Affairs, is designing a program that allows religious teachers in public schools and general teachers in madrasahs to participate in the teacher professional education certification (PPG) program. This cooperation aims to create a scheme that provides equal opportunities for these teachers to undergo PPG. As a first step, data collection on the number of these teachers will be conducted to design a more efficient and fair scheme.

One crucial consideration is the accountability for financing and training these teachers. It is likely that the Ministry of Education and Culture will cover training costs for teachers in public schools, while the Ministry of Religious Affairs will organize training for religious teachers due to their specialization in the field. Further discussions on this matter are ongoing to ensure the smooth implementation of PPG according to the teachers’ needs.