For Dian Afriza, teaching is not just a job; it is a source of happiness and a way to channel his passion for Indonesia’s younger generation.
When I returned to my hometown, Palembang, I met a friend of mine, Dian Afriza. He is now 28 years old and has a great passion for teaching. We come from the same educational background, which is English Education. However, while I decided to take a different path, he chose to focus on becoming a teacher.
We had a brief conversation back then, and I asked him a few questions about why he remains so eager to teach. He said, “Because I’m happy to educate people, from having zero knowledge to being full of it; it’s also been my greatest pleasure to help people develop and achieve their goals. Besides, being involved in a discussion, whether with my friends or students, would make me even happier.”
He has been working as a public school teacher in Sekolah Dasar Negeri 77 Palembang since 2024. Before that, he joined a professional teacher programme for a year, which enabled him to qualify for teaching in public schools.
From Monday to Saturday, between 7 AM and 2.30 PM, Afriza’s duties includes teaching his students in the classroom, providing an additional session for those who need extra guidance, such as slow learners and pre-readers, making lesson plans, creating online quizzes for post-classroom activities, and assessing students’ assignments once the class is over.
I was then curious about his income, since I had been exposed to many social media posts claiming that teachers’ salaries in Indonesia are considered really low. Surprisingly, he said that his income is more than enough to meet his daily needs, and he can still save some of his salary. However, when compared to other jobs in different sectors, yes, the teacher’s salary is indeed lower. “That’s one fact that we [as teachers] have to accept,” he admitted.
Afriza also mentioned that being a teacher in Indonesia, especially in Palembang, requires a lot of patience due to the delay of the disbursement of allowances and salaries, leaving the teachers not getting paid on time. Even after numerous complaints, the regional education department tends to throw the responsibility at each other.
Another big challenge, he told me, is having very diverse student abilities, making it a really tough job to make a suitable learning approach in order to accommodate the different levels of each student’s ability. He often overcomes this issue by asking his students to help their peers who are still struggling.
Despite all the drawbacks, being a teacher is Afriza’s dream job. Helping students with their school subjects and teaching them good behaviour are what make him happy.
“Having the opportunity to teach elementary school students and helping them to break their previous habits [whether it’s in the learning activity or their daily behaviour] is a pleasure for me,” he said.
Afriza also enjoys introducing new teaching media, such as online quizzes, interactive educational games, and discussing inspirational Indonesian figures, as well as world historical figures.
I couldn’t help but think that Indonesia needs people like Dian Afriza, who dedicate themselves wholeheartedly to educating the younger generation — someone who sees teaching as not merely a profession but a calling. His commitment to shaping young minds and fostering positive habits, both academically and socially, is a true asset to his community. His story stands as a reminder that even though the challenges remain, it is the dedication and sincerity of teachers that will continue to guide the younger generation towards a brighter, more promising future.