The lowest ranked state teachers will earn at least Rp 2 million (about US$219) per month next year as part of a government effort to improve the quality of national education.

Education Minister Bambang Sudibyo said Tuesday some 27 percent of the Rp 224.4 trillion education budget proposed for next year would be allocated for improving the welfare of teachers, including by increasing their pay.

"We will increase the basic salary of state teachers and lecturers by between 14 and 15 percent, so that the lowest ranked teachers will get about Rp 2 million per month as promised by the president," Bambang said after a cabinet meeting led by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at the presidential office.

Bambang said the salary rise excluded the 15 percent increase previously promised for next year for civil servants, police and military officers.

Teachers have long complained about low pay, often citing it as a reason to seek other professions.

The new minimum teacher's wage is nearly double the minimum wage in Jakarta.

The salaries of temporary teachers and researchers will also be raised, although to a lesser extent. Temporary teachers who hold bachelor's degrees will receive an extra Rp 100,000 per month, while those with lesser credentials will earn an additional Rp 50,000 per month, Bambang said.

The government announced last month it would allocate a record Rp 244.44 trillion for the education budget, a major increase from the Rp 154.2 trillion it allocated for this year.

The announcement came after the Constitutional Court found the government and the House of Representatives guilty of violating the Constitution, which states that the education budget must be at least 20 percent of the state budget.

In 2006, the education budget was 9.1 percent of the state budget. The spending rose to 11.8 percent in 2007 and remained the same in 2008.

Bambang said more than half of the 2009 education budget would be allocated for the compulsory nine-year education project.

The education ministry has claimed the rate of school attendance among children aged between 6 and 15 reached 92.25 percent this year. Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Central Java, East Java, Bali and West Sumatra had the highest rates among the country's 33 provinces.

Bambang said the government would also spend more on intermediate and vocational education.

"We will increase the budget for intermediate education both in state and Islamic schools, as well as the budget for vocational schools," he said.

The government will issue a government regulation granting full control of the education budget to the Education Ministry.

Citing an example, Bambang said Public Administration Institutes will no longer receive funds from the education budget.