TNI Bill Expands Dual Function: Soldiers to Teach Kindergarten Amid Education Budget Cuts

JAKARTA – Facing drastically slashed education budgets and the lingering controversy of the new military bill, the Indonesian government has unveiled its boldest solution yet:

Deploying active-duty soldiers as kindergarten teachers. This unprecedented move aims to fill the gaping void left by a dwindling education budget.

Sergeant Budi, a 15-year veteran more familiar with jungle missions than juice boxes, now commands a Jakarta classroom, trading his rifle for a ruler and barking orders over nap time. “Combat and military training were intense, but nothing prepared me for nap time negotiations,” he admitted.

"If the military is going to take over civilian functions, they might as well handle the most important civilian role in the country—kindergarten teachers,"

Indonesians who initially expressed significant concern over the TNI Bill's expansion of the military's role in civilian governance have now witnessed an unexpected improvement: reduced kindergarten tantrums and higher teacher attendance rates. "If the military is going to take over civilian functions, they might as well handle the most important civilian role in the country—kindergarten teachers," declared one Indonesian parent.

The government is now eyeing further expansion, envisioning multiplication tables and the alphabet taught with military precision and discipline. Despite the massive Indonesian free lunch school policy straining the education budget, this new addition to the TNI bill has successfully reduced financial pressure on educational resources.

Soldiers like Sergeant Budi, despite finding toddlers tougher to manage than cadets, are embracing their new civilian role. "Military camouflage used to be about training and exercises," he quipped. "Now it's part of the kindergarten finger painting curriculum."