Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Minister Nadiem Anwar Makarim stated that he along with everyone else had been looking forward to the stipulation of the new curriculum for years. The minister affirmed that the program pertained to development of the learning process and the teachers' quality.
The minister delivered the statement during its virtual launch, as seen here on Friday.
According to Makarim, the country was witnessing an ongoing learning crisis that had failed to show improvement with each passing year.
Moreover, no significant improvement had occurred in the last 15 years.
Results from the Programme for International Student Assessment showed that as many as 70 percent of 15-year-old students were recorded to be below the minimum competency in terms of reading and mathematics.
"A crisis requires an extraordinary solution in order to enable us to catch up," he explained.
The learning crisis was further worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic that had caused a learning loss.
According to the ministry's data, students lost six months’ worth of literacy learning and had lost five months' worth of numeracy learning.
They estimated that many more schools had experienced learning loss above this average value.
Makarim explained that during the pandemic, the ministry had enacted an Emergency Curriculum wherein the learning or study materials had been simplified.
Thus, the ministry had changed the curriculum to be more flexible, with focus on essential materials, and applications that provide various references for teachers to continue to develop teaching practices independently while also sharing good practices.
Makarim stated that schools were not forced to implement the new curriculum. Schools were allowed to determine the curriculum they would use, whether it was the 2013 Curriculum, the Emergency Curriculum, or the Independent Curriculum.
“Schools keen to make changes though not ready to make big modifications and looking to choose simple materials can use the Emergency Curriculum. Meanwhile, schools that are ready to transform (their methods) can (opt for) the Merdeka Curriculum," he added.
The Freedom in Learning Platform encourages teachers to continue working and provides a platform for good practice.
Everyone could create a collaborative ecosystem to increase the effectiveness of learning as well as promote a positive work climate.
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Translator: Indriani, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Sri Haryati
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