Indonesia, Dec. 5 -- The House of Representatives (DPR) and the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology highlighted lecturer welfare as a top priority in national higher education reform during budget and legislative discussions.

"It is very ironic that we demand high quality, yet 42 percent of our lecturers still earn less than Rp3 million per month," Chairperson of DPR Commission X Hetifah Sjaifudian said before the academic community of Mulawarman University here on Friday.

She assessed that such income levels are far from adequate to support the professionalism of educators amid rising living costs and academic demands.

Sjaifudian ensured that the bill on the National Education System (Sisdiknas) will be prioritized f...