Indonesia's Kurikulum Merdeka: Revolutionizing Education for Future Success

Indonesia has long grappled with the challenge of improving its national education system, a mission complicated by frequent changes in curriculum and shifting policy aims. The introduction of the “Kurikulum Merdeka,” or Independent Curriculum, has ignited both hope and skepticism among educators, policymakers, and educational observers. This initiative—promoted as a streamlined, student-centered approach that values competence, character, and flexibility—seeks to lift Indonesia’s education outcomes to international standards. But can it truly deliver on its promises, or will it fall prey to the same issues that have historically hindered previous curricular reforms?

PISA Scores: The Catalyst Behind Change​

Indonesia’s position in the triennial Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) surveys has often served as a wake-up call. Since the country first participated in 2000, its student performance in reading, mathematics, and science has typically lagged behind both the OECD and regional averages. The 2018 PISA results were particularly disheartening, marking a decline from the 2015 survey and underscoring the stubbornness of existing deficiencies. With the 2022 PISA data (released in 2023) poised to offer further insight, the Indonesian government feels compelled to act, seeking systemic solutions through an overhaul of its educational framework.

What Distinguishes the Independent Curriculum?​

According to Indonesia’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology (Kemendikbudristek), the Independent Curriculum is designed to be:

• Simpler and More Flexible: Emphasizing user-friendliness for both teachers and students, aiming to eliminate bureaucratic complexity in curriculum implementation.
• Competence and Character-Based: Focusing on critical thinking, creativity, and ethical development, rather than rote learning.
• Student-Centered: Allowing high school students to select subjects that align with their interests and aspirations, rather than binding them to rigid “majors.”
• Data-Informed: Incorporating feedback from pilot programs and emergency curricular adaptations introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic, which suggested that curriculum simplification helped improve literacy and numeracy in select schools.

These design points echo broader global shifts in educational philosophy, which increasingly privilege soft skills, adaptability, and lifelong learning.

Theoretical Strengths: Promise of Progress​

1. Flexibility and Relevance​

One of the marquee features of Kurikulum Merdeka is its flexibility. By removing the requirement for high school students to choose a single “major,” it encourages broader exposure and the pursuit of individual interests, potentially leading to more engaged learning and readiness for diverse career paths. This is akin to curricular liberalizations seen in educationally advanced nations, where early specialization is minimized to widen intellectual horizons.

2. Focus on Core Competencies​

By pivoting away from dense content coverage towards the mastery of key skills such as literacy and numeracy, the curriculum attempts to address foundational gaps—a move that aligns with World Bank guidance and OECD best practices for educational development.

3. Teacher Support Platforms​

The “Merdeka Mengajar” platform, a government-supported online teacher resource, delivers high-quality training materials and mentoring, designed to raise implementation standards by boosting teacher competence and adaptability.

4. Alignment with International Trends​

Many leading education systems are shifting away from traditional exams and high-stakes testing towards ongoing assessments focused on learning outcomes. Kurikulum Merdeka continues this trajectory by emphasizing the National Assessment (AN) and routine monitoring of school and teacher effectiveness.

Pitfalls, Doubts, and Emerging Criticisms​

Despite these forward-thinking ambitions, the Independent Curriculum faces significant obstacles, both conceptual and practical.

1. Technical and Logistical Hurdles​

• Abolition of Tracking (“Majors”): While theoretically empowering, allowing unlimited subject choice can strain existing infrastructure. Scheduling, resource allocation, and teacher availability could become logistical nightmares, especially when teacher professional allowances require a 24-hour teaching load per week. Many Indonesian schools, particularly in rural or underfunded areas, lack the personnel to support such flexible student choices.
• Teacher Quality and Participation: The success of curriculum reform is highly dependent on teacher readiness. Although the Merdeka Mengajar platform provides valuable support, there is little publicly available data on how many teachers actively engage with its resources. Without widespread and independent uptake, reform risks becoming a matter of policy on paper rather than practice in classrooms.

2. Evidence Gaps​

The only “scientific evidence” frequently cited to support the new curriculum’s superiority is improved literacy and numeracy in schools that piloted simplified content during the pandemic. However, such pilot projects occurred under unique, stress-driven conditions and at a relatively small scale. Robust, large-scale, longitudinal studies are still needed to substantiate claims of effectiveness.

3. Teacher Recruitment and Welfare​

Critics underscore the importance of fair, merit-based teacher recruitment and the necessity of improving teacher welfare. Since 2020, the traditional recruitment of civil servant candidates for teaching positions has been largely paused, with a shift toward contract-based government staffing—a move that has raised concerns among unions and experts about long-term quality assurance.
Teacher welfare remains a core issue: without competitive salaries and adequate support, attracting “the best and brightest” into teaching positions will remain a significant challenge. Disparities in teacher remuneration—especially between urban and rural postings—continue to skew educational equity.

4. Evaluation and Follow-Up​

The National Assessment (AN), intended to replace the abolished national exam, is the primary mechanism for evaluating school quality. But the challenge remains to ensure these results are meaningfully translated into targeted interventions, teacher development, and improved student outcomes—rather than devolving into a bureaucratic “ranking and shaming” exercise.

Lessons from Past Reforms​

Indonesia’s educational history is marked by frequent curriculum changes—each a response to emerging critiques, shifting international benchmarks, or local shortcomings. Yet, many of these reforms have failed to produce lasting improvement or have been prematurely abandoned before their impact could be evaluated. Classic pitfalls include:

• Insufficient Teacher Training: New curricula are frequently rolled out without adequate investment in continuous professional development for frontline teachers.
• Administrative Over-focus: Previous reforms have often emphasized changes in terminology, paperwork, and administrative protocols, neglecting meaningful shifts in pedagogy and classroom experience.
• Top-Down Implementation: Lacking grassroots buy-in, and with weak channels for feedback, reforms rarely reach their transformative potential in practice.

Unless addressed, Kurikulum Merdeka is at risk of repeating these cycles.

Mitigating the Risks: Recommendations for Success​

1. Intensify In-School Teacher Support​

Training must go beyond box-ticking or formal certification. Localized, school-based mentoring—driven by so-called “driving teachers,” whose numbers the government is steadily increasing—can provide peer learning, contextualized problem-solving, and practical guidance. However, authorities must incentivize participation by integrating engagement with these supports into official performance evaluations for both teachers and principals.

2. Standardize and Strengthen Recruitment​

New teacher hires should be rigorously screened for both subject knowledge and pedagogical ability, ensuring that merit considerations prevail over age, proximity, or other non-academic factors. Beyond entry-level screening, there must be regular opportunities for skill development, career progression, and competitive salaries to boost professional motivation.

3. Bolster Teacher Welfare​

Educational reforms will falter without a parallel investment in teacher welfare. Competitive compensation, housing support for teachers stationed in remote areas, and clear pathways for professional advancement are vital to attract and retain talent.

4. Transparent and Actionable Assessment​

The government should publish granular data on school and teacher performance, enabling stakeholders—from local authorities to parent groups—to make informed decisions. More importantly, the results of the National Assessment must feed into direct interventions: remedial programs, specialized teacher training, or targeted resource allocation.

5. Foster Genuine Stakeholder Engagement​

Reform should not be the exclusive preserve of central authorities. Local governments, school leadership, teachers, parents, and even student representatives need channels to contribute ideas, report challenges, and propose locally tailored solutions.

6. Sustained and Consistent Evaluation​

All reforms require time to show results. It is essential for the curriculum change process to outlast political cycles. Periodic, independent evaluation—preferably by a mix of national and international bodies—can ensure that reform remains on track and is responsive to evolving challenges.

Will PISA 2025 Be the Turning Point?​

Ultimately, the definitive metric for the Independent Curriculum’s success may come in the form of Indonesia’s PISA results in 2025. Yet, as educational experts often caution, test scores are but one dimension of a system’s overall health. A singular focus on test results can even be counterproductive, leading to “teaching to the test” or gaming metrics at the expense of deeper, more enduring learning.
Far more valuable—if less easily measured—are improvements in student well-being, critical thinking, and social skills. Equally crucial is progress in addressing intra-national disparities, ensuring that rural and disadvantaged communities are not left behind in the scramble for higher rankings.

Critical Analysis: Balancing Optimism with Realism​

Key Strengths​

• Alignment with Global Best Practices: Prioritizing soft skills and flexible pathways prepares students for a rapidly changing world.
• Accessible Teacher Support: Platforms like Merdeka Mengajar make high-quality resources broadly available.
• Built-In Flexibility: The curriculum recognizes the diversity of Indonesia’s learners and contexts.

Key Risks​

• Insufficient Implementation Capacity: Without sustained support and resources, many schools may struggle to operationalize ambitious reforms.
• Equity Gaps: Flexibility and choice could inadvertently widen disparities if access to specialized courses or diverse subjects remains unequal across regions.
• Lack of Robust Evidence: There is an urgent need for large-scale, independent studies that rigorously test the effectiveness of the new approaches before they are adopted nationwide.

The Road Ahead​

Indonesia has taken an ambitious step forward in its quest for educational excellence and global competitiveness. The Independent Curriculum represents a concerted effort to move away from outmoded, rigid, content-heavy schooling towards an education system that is adaptable, learner-centered, and competence-driven. However, as history has repeatedly shown, even the best-designed policies can falter without robust implementation, continuous support for teachers, and a deep commitment to educational equity.
The coming years will prove decisive. As the nation anticipates its performance in future international assessments, it should remember that authentic educational success springs not from numbers alone, but from classrooms in which every child—regardless of background—can thrive.

Conclusion​

The fate of the Independent Curriculum will be determined not by policy decrees or administrative edicts, but by the capacity and commitment of Indonesia’s teachers, the engagement of parents and communities, and the willingness of policymakers to learn from both near-term setbacks and long-term progress. Only through sustained, inclusive, and data-informed approaches can Indonesia rise to meet the challenges of the 21st century and secure a brighter educational future for all.

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Source: Kompas.id Preventing the Failure of the Independent Curriculum