Why is it so hard for Indonesia to recruit good teachers? We argue that the struggle to recruit good teachers are due to institutional, political economy, and social dynamics of the recruitment process. We will discuss three factors that underpin this issue. First, Indonesia’s dysfunctional teacher recruitment process as a byproduct of the country’s inchoate political and legal institutions. Second, the political economy “environment” of the teaching profession that prioritises stakeholder interests over education goals. Third, social expectations prioritising seniority rather than merit as indicators of teacher performance. We conclude with some directions for future steps to address said issues.

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This is one of a series of working papers from RISE—the large-scale education systems research programme supported by the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID), Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.