Dream - The statement of the Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture (Menko PMK), Muhadjir Effendy, who proposed that online gambling victims be included in the Integrated Social Welfare Data (DTKS) in order to receive social assistance (Bansos), has sparked controversy. One of them is from the Institute for Demographic and Poverty Studies (IDEAS), which considers that step to be an inappropriate decision amidst the many teachers who have not received Bansos.

According to IDEAS, teachers, especially those who are contract-based, deserve to receive social assistance more than victims of online gambling. From the survey conducted, it is evident that there is a strong determination to teach from these unsung heroes. "Despite the low welfare conditions of teachers, we see the admirable determination of Indonesian teachers, as seen from 93.5 percent of teachers who wish to continue serving and imparting knowledge as teachers until retirement," said Anwar.

According to Anwar, the decision would be very ironic if the government pays more attention to the fate of online gambling victims, who are primarily responsible for their own actions, rather than to teachers considering that teachers' income is far from decent. "In the same survey, we found that 42 percent of teachers have an income below Rp2 million per month and 13 percent of them have an income below Rp500 thousand per month. These teachers are very deserving of receiving social assistance," he added.