EduAsiaNews, Jakarta — A sudden change in employment status for dozens of non-civil servant lecturers at Universitas Pembangunan Nasional “Veteran” Jakarta (UPNVJ) has unsettled the campus community, prompting university leadership to pursue an alternative arrangement that would recognise the affected staff as professional lecturers rather than ordinary administrative employees.
“Appointment as professional lecturers could serve as an alternative solution,” UPNVJ Rector Prof. Anter Venus said in Jakarta on Saturday (13/6/2026), responding to a government workforce restructuring policy enacted under the State Civil Apparatus Law. A number of non-civil servant lecturers are currently in a period of transition as a result of that policy.
The trouble first came to light on June 1, when several lecturers who had previously been recorded as permanent teaching staff in the Integrated Resource Information System (SISTER) — operated by the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology — found their status downgraded to non-permanent. The change has cast doubt over the continuity of their functional positions, lecturer certification, and academic career progression.
Prof. Venus said the university leadership was itself caught off guard by the development. Upon learning of it, he immediately convened intensive internal meetings and issued a formal letter dated June 2 as an opening move toward finding a resolution.
“The anxiety among the lecturers is understandable. Most of them dedicate themselves entirely to UPNVJ, this is the only institution they call home,” he said. He added that many of the affected lecturers had made tangible contributions to the university’s growth and development. “There is no way we can let them go. We will fight for them to the very last resort,” he said.
Ministry of Finance signals support
The solution now being pursued centres on appointing the non-civil servant lecturers as professional staff specifically in the capacity of lecturers, a distinction the rector stressed was critical. This approach, he said, had received a positive signal from the Ministry of Finance, which governs staffing arrangements at state universities operating under the Public Service Agency framework (PTN BLU).
“Under professional staff status, the financial rights of the lecturers can be protected and paid in accordance with existing regulations,” Prof. Venus explained. Ongoing coordination with the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology is under way to ensure that the professional staff designation can be formally attached to the lecturer function.
The rector expressed confidence that the efforts would bear fruit. “Seeing the same spirit from the ministry, we are optimistic that the best common ground will be found. Let us pray that this can be realised soon. Bismillah,” he said.
Prof. Venus also extended his gratitude to the Vice Rector for General Affairs and Finance, the Head of the PKU Bureau, the Internal Supervisory Unit, and the personnel team for their tireless efforts to deliver on a commitment the university leadership had made to the lecturers as far back as 2025.(www.upnvj.ac.id)
