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'Merdeka' curriculum sees increasing popularity among teachers
One year since its introduction, the new Kurikulum Merdeka (Freedom Curriculum) is seeing wide adoption in schools, ranging from early childhood education institutions all the way up to senior high schools,
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An Indonesian high school student writes during an examination. (Shutterstock/Quon_ID)
W
hen Education, Culture, Research and Technology Minister Nadiem Makarim introduced the Kurikulum Merdeka (Freedom Curriculum) early last year, some observers were unconvinced that it would be compatible with schools nationwide.
But, one year on, the new curriculum has been widely adopted in many schools, with teachers welcoming the curriculum’s emphasis on flexibility in learning structures – despite it being optional, not mandatory, until the end of the 2023/2024 academic year next year.
According to ministry data, over 156,000 schools across the country, ranging from early childhood education institutions all the way up to senior high schools, around 35 percent of schools, had fully or partially implemented the new curriculum as of January.
“[The adoption rate] has far exceeded our target. We did not have a strict target [of how many schools would pick up the curriculum] when we launched it last year, but we expected around 16,000 schools would do so,” head of the education ministry’s center for curriculum and learning Zulfikri Anas said on Thursday.
He said educators were eager to try out the new curriculum due to its flexibility, in addition to focusing on only the most essential learning materials for students.
Unlike the previous 2013 national curriculum which set out a certain amount of learning hours per week for each subject, the Kurikulum Merdeka sets out annual targets, in effect giving teachers the freedom to structure their teaching programs and learning timetables.
