Getting to Know the Merdeka Belajar Curriculum More Closely

In an effort to recover learning disrupted by the pandemic, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology (Kemendikburistek) issued a policy on developing the Merdeka Curriculum. This curriculum is given to education units as an additional option for learning recovery during 2022-2024. The Ministry's policy on the national curriculum will be reviewed in 2024 based on evaluations during the learning recovery period.

The Merdeka Curriculum is the new name for the prototype curriculum officially launched by the Minister of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology, Nadiem Anwar Makarim. At present, schools may still choose which curriculum to use in their respective education units. The curriculum options provided include the 2013 Curriculum, the Emergency Curriculum, and the Merdeka Curriculum. Merdeka Belajar (Freedom to Learn) is defined as an approach that allows students and university students to choose the subjects they are interested in.

The essence of the Merdeka Curriculum is that education is anchored in the essence of learning, in which every student has their own talents and interests. The aim of Merdeka Belajar is to effectively mitigate the learning gaps that arose during the Covid-19 pandemic. For now, the 2013 Curriculum can still be used while schools prepare to implement this new curriculum. Each education unit can implement the Merdeka Curriculum gradually based on its own readiness.

It cannot be denied that Indonesia has experienced a learning crisis for quite a long time. The results of studies and PISA tests have shown that many Indonesian children are unable to understand simple reading passages or apply basic mathematical concepts. There are striking educational gaps between regions and social groups in Indonesia. This has been made worse by the Covid-19 pandemic, which has struck for roughly 3 years. To restore the situation, systemic change is needed, one of which is through the school curriculum. The Ministry developed the Merdeka Curriculum with the main goal of recovering learning from the crisis that Indonesian children have long experienced.

The Merdeka Curriculum, previously known as the prototype curriculum, was developed as a more flexible curriculum framework focused on essential material and on developing students' character and competencies. The Merdeka Curriculum, which is claimed to be able to support learning recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic that caused learning loss, has 4 characteristics. First, project-based learning for developing soft skills and character in line with the Pancasila student profile. Second, a focus on essential material makes learning deeper for basic competencies such as literacy and numeracy. Third, teachers have the flexibility to carry out differentiated learning according to students' abilities and to adapt to local context and content. Fourth, the main policy points related to the Merdeka Belajar Curriculum

The reason for using the Merdeka Curriculum is that it has positive impacts, including showing the importance of simplifying material. This is actually not surprising. If there is too much compulsory material to teach, the most rational strategy for teachers is to lecture. Dense material makes it difficult for teachers to hold discussions, argumentation, and other learning methods that encourage students to develop their reasoning and character. If we want teachers to focus on student learning, the scope of the curriculum must be limited to material that is truly essential. Depth of process requires sacrificing breadth of material. This is one of the main principles in designing the Merdeka Curriculum.

By focusing on essential material, the Merdeka Curriculum can give dedicated time to project-based learning. This is cross-subject learning oriented toward producing works or solving real problems collaboratively. Simple examples include creating a song or making a drama, planning a bazaar or making a product, and tackling the waste problem in the home or school environment. This kind of learning sharpens social concern, fosters tolerance, and trains communication and cooperation.

In this way, students can experience the relevance of knowledge to life, and their love for knowledge and for the learning process itself grows. In short, the Merdeka Curriculum is designed to make it easier for teachers to focus on learning. With this curriculum, instead of racing against time to finish the material, teachers will be able to pay attention to what lies at the heart of education: the quality of learning experienced by their students. The importance of getting to know the Merdeka Curriculum is to minimise misunderstandings about its implementation. The Merdeka Curriculum, whose learning implementation becomes simpler and deeper, is expected to bring the potential of the nation's children soaring back.