Education Towards Golden Indonesia 2045: Reforming Welfare, Salaries, and Career Management of University Lecturers in Public and Private Universities to Create Superior, Character-Built, and Globally Competitive Human Resources

Abstract

Higher education is a strategic instrument for achieving Golden Indonesia 2045. Law Number 59 of 2024 on the National Long-Term Development Plan (RPJPN) 2025–2045 identifies stronger human-resource competitiveness as one of the national vision targets, yet the quality of human resources cannot be separated from the quality and sustainability of the lecturer profession, the principal implementer of the tridharma of higher education. This article analyzes the reform of remuneration, welfare, career development, and governance of lecturers at public universities (PTN) and private universities (PTS), which differ in financing, income mechanisms, workload, research access, and career opportunities. The study applies a normative-juridical method with statutory, conceptual, and public-policy approaches. The findings indicate that lecturer reform must shift from an administrative paradigm toward professionalization based on competence, performance, welfare, and the portability of academic records. The Lecturer Workload (BKD) and SISTER systems can be developed into a data infrastructure linking academic qualifications, academic rank, tridharma activities, publications, research, community service, and intellectual property. The article proposes the Integrated Lecturer Welfare and Academic Career Governance Model (ILWAC-GM) and the Academic Digital Career Passport (ADCP), a verified digital academic record that keeps credit points and career history attached to the individual lecturer when moving between institutions. Islamic perspectives (QS Al-Mujadilah: 11 and QS Al-Qashash: 26) reinforce the argument that lecturer welfare reform is an investment in human development rather than merely a matter of wages.