Ganjar Pranowo's Presidential Campaign: "30 Million Rupiah for Teacher Salary" Program

In 2024, there will be a political year in Indonesia. This means there will be an election to choose a president and vice president for the period of 2024-2029. Before the election starts, there are many campaigns about visions, missions, and work programs. One of the presidential candidates, number 3 on the ballot, Ganjar Pranowo, has declared his work program. He wants to improve the well-being of teachers by raising their professional salaries to 30 million Indonesian rupiahs. 

Now, let's see if this work program is realistic and achievable. Currently, there are about 4,268,882 active teachers in Indonesia, teaching from kindergarten to high school. If Ganjar truly wants to increase the teachers' salaries to 30 million, it would cost the government approximately 128.066 trillion rupiahs per month. Looking at the planned state budget (APBN) for 2024, which is 3,325.1 trillion rupiahs, 20% of it, or 660.8 trillion rupiahs, is allocated for education. 

If this work program is implemented, it would be impossible to achieve. Why? Because the total monthly salary for all teachers is 128.066 trillion rupiahs multiplied by 12 months, which equals 1,536.7975 trillion rupiahs or 1.5 quadrillion rupiahs. It doesn't make sense if half of the 2024 state budget, which is 3.3 quadrillion rupiahs, is spent only on teachers' salaries. 

There are many other important areas that need budget allocation, such as infrastructure development and healthcare. In conclusion, Ganjar Pranowo's promise of a 30-million-rupiah salary for teachers each month is highly unrealistic and difficult to achieve. It would consume half of the state budget, leaving many other crucial areas, like infrastructure and healthcare, without sufficient funds.