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Honorary Teacher – Oh, Indonesia — there are so many problems in the education sector of this nation. Countless cases happen to our educators: from low salaries, unworthy living conditions, corruption, and much more. But one of the most heartbreaking and absurd cases recently happened in Sulawesi. Here’s the story.
“I don’t regret helping my fellow teachers. What I regret is that justice couldn’t see the good intention behind it.”
Those are the words of Rasnal, a high school teacher in North Luwu, South Sulawesi, who was fired as a civil servant after helping unpaid honorary teachers who hadn’t received their salaries for 10 months.
The case began in 2018, when Rasnal was the principal and Abdul Muis served as the school committee treasurer. They found that the teaching process wasn’t running well because about 10 honorary teachers hadn’t been paid for months.
Rasnal and Muis then proposed a collective donation system through the school committee. According to the proposal, parents were asked to contribute Rp 17,300 per month, and they even agreed to increase it to Rp 20,000. However, in 2019, an NGO reported the school for alleged corruption. The case went to court, and both men were charged as suspects.
In 2022, the Anti-Corruption Court in Makassar declared Rasnal and Muis not guilty, ruling that their actions didn’t meet the criteria of corruption. But prosecutors appealed to the Supreme Court, which overturned the verdict. Both were then sentenced to 1 year and 2 months in prison, and since the case was final, they were dismissed as civil servants.
Just look at how harsh justice can be toward people who dedicate their lives to teaching. Imagine working for 10 months without pay. Even going unpaid for two months would drive anyone insane — family finances would collapse, and motivation to teach would disappear. Fighting for justice in education seems almost impossible in this country.
And what comes next? Nothing. Nothing can be done if the government doesn’t guarantee a decent life for educators. When citizens themselves try to support their teachers through small donations, they end up behind bars. Who knows what the authorities truly want for this nation? People stay silent, disappointed, angry — but the fire burns only within their hearts.
