The
Implementation of Merdeka Learning Curriculum by Minister of Education at
Senior High School in Banda Aceh �Maisal Rahmadi Aka, Khairuddin, Ismail Universitas Syah Kuala Email: [email protected] |
Keywords |
Abstract |
Effectiveness,
Academic Supervision and Teacher Performance. |
School supervisors have the main tasks of monitoring, supervising and evaluating the implementation of education. The existence of school supervisors is to provide guidance and supervision in increasing the effectiveness of education in schools. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to describe: (1) the supervisory development program regarding the academic supervision competency of the principals; (2) the implementation of the supervisory development program; (3) the evaluation of the supervisory development program; and (4) the follow-ups of the supervisory development program. This qualitative research was conducted by means of a descriptive approach in State Kindergarten 2 and State Kindergarten 6 of Banda Aceh City. The data were collected through interviews, observation, and documentation. The results showed that: (1) the preparation of the supervisory development program was carried out at the beginning of the fiscal year and consisted of a managerial program plan and an academic program plan. In addition; (2) the implementation of the program had particular stages and schedules; and (3) the evaluation of the program was more about the personal assessment of the principal with certain supervision schedules. Lastly, (4) the follow-ups and the solution regarding the obstacles were in the forms of facilitating training programs related to teacher performance assessment, increasing the intensity of supervision or class visits and increasing programs for academic supervision and teacher performance assessment on a regular and continuous basis. � 2023 by the authors. Submitted for possible open access publication under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons
Attribution (CC BY SA) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). |
1. Introduction
Law Number 14 of 2005 concerning
teachers and lecturers is one of the implementations of the demands for
improvement in quantity, quality, effectiveness, and efficiency related to
education which is evidence of the development of a new paradigm of the
teaching and lecturer profession and the needs of policy makers. The birth of
government policy contained in Government Regulation Number 19 of 2005
concerning National Education Standards (SNP) has also become one of the
solutions to the problem of improving the basic competence of teachers. The
basic competencies mentioned consist of four components, namely pedagogic
competence, professional competence, personality competence, and social
competence (Pantiwati, Chamisijatin,
Zaenab, & Aldya, 2023).
The progress of a country is
certainly inseparable from the development of its education system. Since 2003
� 2018, Indonesia has shown significant improvement to the world through the
PISA (Programme International Student Assessment) chart. OECD (Organization of Economic Cooperation and
Development) has noted Indonesia's PISA ranking in 2018 is still at the
bottom. The PISA reading ranking fraction is ranked 70th out of 77 countries.
For Mathematics scores, Indonesia is ranked 72 out of 78 countries. While the
Science score is at 70 out of 78 countries involved. The value tends to
stagnate from the previous year. Of course, this is inseparable from the role
of teachers in developing teaching and learning efforts or techniques (Purwanti, 2021).
Without proper education, people will
languish on the fringes of society, the state will not be able to benefit from
technological progress so that progress cannot be processed into social
progress. The impact of this is the inability to realize a fair and inclusive
policy. In addition, the government will have difficulty involving the
community to lead to full change if there is a lack of education. Of course,
this is inseparable from the education system, learning methods, teacher
creativity, and also other considerations (Restu, Sriadhi, Gultom,
& Ampera, 2022).
Article 31 of the 1945 Constitution
of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia states that every citizen has
the right to quality education. As an effort to continue and develop policies
to improve and equalize the quality of education, the Ministry of Education and
Culture (Kemendikbud) initiated the Mobilizer School Program. The Driving
School seeks to encourage education units to carry out self-transformation to
improve the quality of learning in schools, then scan other schools to make
similar quality improvements.
Merdeka Belajar is the freedom of
thought that begins and ends with teachers who invite educational elements to
participate in advancing education in Indonesia (Kusumaryono, 2020). However, the new policy initiated by Minister of
Education and Culture Nadiem Makarim during his early term in office caused
perceptions in all circles of society, especially in the field of education.
Supposedly, ministerial policies can be implemented in all educational
institutions in Indonesia. However, whether all these policies have been
implemented, exactly is unknown. Therefore, this study intends to analyze how
teachers' perceptions in carrying out the implementation of the Ministry of
Education and Culture's Freedom of Learning policy at the Senior High School
level, especially in Banda Aceh City (Supriati, Dewi, Supriyanti,
& Azizah, 2022). The implementation of the Independent Curriculum
is realized for learning recovery based on the following policies as stated in
Permendikbudristek No.5 year 22 relating to Graduate Competency Standards in
Early Childhood Education, Primary Education, and Secondary Education. Graduate
Competency Standards are minimum criteria regarding the unity of attitudes,
skills, and knowledge that show the achievement of students' abilities from
their learning outcomes at the end of the education level (Satiti & Falikhatun,
2022).
The Permendikbudristek No.7 of 2022
relates to content standards in Early Childhood Education, Primary Education,
and Secondary Education. Content standards are developed through the
formulation of the scope of material in accordance with the competence of
graduates. The scope of the material is study material in learning content
formulated based on: 1) mandatory content in accordance with the provisions of
laws and regulations; 2) scientific concepts; 3) path, level, and type of
education. Content standards are a reference for the 2013 curriculum, emergency
curriculum, and independent curriculum (Krishnapatria, 2021).
Permendikbudristek No. 56 of 2022
relating to guidelines for curriculum implementation in the context of learning
recovery contains three curriculum options that can be used in education units
in the context of learning recovery and the structure of the Independent
Curriculum, rules related to learning, assessment, and teacher workload (Yulianto, 2022). Meanwhile, the Decree of the Head of BSKAP
No.009/H/KR/2022 of 2022 decided that education units can implement the Merdeka
curriculum in stages according to their respective readiness. The decree also
lists three options that can be decided by the education unit on the
Implementation of the Independent Curriculum in the 2022/2023 school year,
namely:
1. Implementing some parts and principles of the
Independent Curriculum without replacing the curriculum of the educational unit
that is being implemented.
2. Implementing the Independent Curriculum using the
teaching tools provided.
3. Implementing the Independent Curriculum by
developing various teaching tools yourself.
Merdeka Belajar is the freedom of
thought that begins and ends with teachers who invite educational elements to
participate in advancing education in Indonesia (Kusumaryono, 2020). However, the new policy initiated by Minister of
Education and Culture Nadiem Makarim during his early term in office caused
perceptions in all circles, especially in the field of education. Supposedly,
ministerial policies can be implemented in all educational institutions in
Indonesia. However, whether all these policies have been implemented, exactly
is unknown. Therefore, this study intends to analyze how school readiness in
carrying out the implementation of the Independent Curriculum of the Ministry
of Education and Culture at the Senior High School level, especially in Banda
Aceh City (Pratikno, Hermawan, &
Arifin, 2022).
According to the theory of policy
implementation proposed by George C. Edward (in Subarsono, 2011) states that
policy implementation is influenced by four variables that are interconnected
with each other, namely communication, resources, disposition, and also
bureaucratic structure. In particular, this study aims to obtain an overview of:
1. To find out school planning for the implementation
of the Ministry of Education and Culture's Freedom of Learning policy in Senior
High Schools in Banda Aceh City.
2. To find out the implementation stage of the
Ministry of Education and Culture's Freedom of Learning policy in several High
Schools in Banda Aceh City.
3. To find out the obstacles experienced by schools in
implementing the Ministry of Education and Culture's Freedom of Learning policy
in Banda Aceh City High Schools.
To facilitate the formulation of
research instruments and data collection in the field, research objectives can
be described in the form of research questions as follows:
1. How is the school planning in implementing the
Freedom of Learning policy in Senior High Schools in Banda Aceh City?
2. How is the implementation of the Freedom of
Learning policy in several high schools in Banda Aceh City?
3. What are the obstacles faced by teachers in
implementing Merdeka Belajar in Senior High Schools in Banda Aceh City?
At this stage, researchers search for
several studies that have been conducted previously that have a discussion
relationship with this study. This is done to determine the correlation of
discussion in this study with research that has been done before, so that there
is no repetition of discussion or similarity of research. In this case,
researchers searched several sources including the following:
Research conducted by (Ratsyari, 2021) related to "School Readiness for the
Implementation of Independent Learning at SMK YPP Purworejo" which was
carried out with a qualitative approach, based on this research, the results
are: (1) the principal's policy on school examinations in 2021 applies an exam
form that can be developed by each teacher with flexible exam times in
accordance with the form of school exam assessment. (2) The planning of the
Minimum Competency Assessment (AKM) in 2021 is based on the principal's policy
by assigning literacy summary tasks to students. In addition, teachers also
make questions in the learning module which include questions of understanding,
comparison, reasoning, analysis, and evaluation. Next, the Guidance Counseling
teacher provides time and opens the counseling period every Saturday. (3 The
Learning Implementation Plan (RPP) is prepared by observing and using three
principles of RPP preparation, namely the principles of efficiency,
effectiveness, and student-oriented. (4) Admission of New Students (PPDB) shall
continue to follow the rules of the Provincial Education and Culture Office (Rizki & Fahkrunisa,
2022).
Furthermore, research related to the
"Survey of the Implementation of the Independent Learning Curriculum in
Physical Education Learning at SMA Negeri 1 Purwoasri" conducted by (Subandrio & Kartiko,
2021) with quantitative methods found the following results: (1)
the performance of PJOK teachers during the learning process was found to be
good with a percentage of 33.33%. (2) The implementation and understanding of
the Merdeka Belajar curriculum is good from being at a good stage. (3) The
implementation of RPP 1 sheet and the impact on students are also ranked well.
The overall result of the percentage of implementation of the Merdeka Belajar
curriculum in PJOK learning at SMA 1 Purwoasri can be said to run very well
from the teacher's side and from the principal's side with the overall
percentage being 66.67% (Very Good). The implementation of the independent
curriculum in PJOK learning is expected to increase so as to provide a better
impact on students through the experience gained in Merdeka Belajar (Ingtias, Ampera, Farihah,
Amal, & Purba, 2022).
From several previous studies that
have been stated above, it can be concluded that there are gaps in this study
and also previous research, such as research location, research subject,
research methodology, and also research results. Based on the research gap, the researchers in this study focus
on the implementation of the independent learning policy as a whole by applying
qualitative research methods.
2. Materials and Methods
This research uses a qualitative
research approach with the aim of describing, explaining, explaining, and
answering in detail the problem under study. This approach understands the
phenomena experienced by the research subject through descriptions in the form
of words and language. This research focuses on "Implementation of the
Ministry of Education and Culture's Free Learning Policy in Senior High Schools
in Banda Aceh City." This research method involved school principals, vice
principals for curriculum, and subject teachers from two high schools in Banda
Aceh, namely SMAN 3 Banda Aceh and SMAN 7 Banda Aceh. The main data collection
technique is a semi-structural interview with interview guides and
documentation as a complement. The data analysis process involves three steps,
namely data reduction to summarize and select important information, data
presentation through various forms of presentation such as tables and narrative
text, and data verification to draw conclusions. Conclusions in qualitative research
are provisional and may evolve along with further data collection.
The research method used in this
study is qualitative method. Qualitative method is a research approach that
aims to describe, explain, and explain the problem under study by using words
and language as a means to understand the phenomena experienced by the research
subject. The focus of this research is on "Implementation of the Ministry
of Education and Culture's Free Learning Policy in Senior High Schools in Banda
Aceh City."
The type of qualitative research used
in this study is a case study. A case study is research that examines a
particular case in a particular time and activity, with the aim of obtaining an
in-depth description of the entity under study. The subjects of the study
consisted of school principals, vice principals for curriculum, and study
teachers from SMAN 3 Banda Aceh and SMAN 7 Banda Aceh.
Data collection was conducted through
semi-structural interviews with interview guides and documentation as complementary.
Interviews are used to obtain information from research subjects, while
documentation is used to provide additional evidence to the data obtained.
The data analysis process consists of
three steps, namely data reduction to summarize important information,
presentation of data through various formats such as tables and narrative text,
and data verification to draw conclusions. Conclusions in qualitative research
are provisional and may evolve as further data are collected. This data
analysis technique aims to gain a deep understanding of the problem under study.
3. Results and Discussions
All data obtained by researchers will
be presented in descriptive form, namely by explaining through word
descriptions so that they become sentences that are easy to understand so that
the data presented is more directed and obtain a clear picture of the research
results to answer research questions pleased with the principal's managerial in
improving school quality culture in public elementary schools in Banda Aceh
(SDN 24,� SDN 54, SDN 44 and SDN 16) the
results of this researcher can be systematically described as follows:
Results of research at SDN 24 school�
Based on the results of interviews
with the Principal about (1) the principal's managerial (2) The principal's
managerial strategy in improving the school quality culture.
Managerial principal
SD NEGERI
24 BANDA ACEH is one of the elementary
education units �in Kota Baru, Kuta Alam District, Banda Aceh
City, Aceh. In carrying out its activities, SD NEGERI 24 BANDA ACEH is under
the auspices of the Ministry of Education and Kebudayaan.SD NEGERI 24 BANDA
ACEH is located at Jl. Tengku Tanoh Abee No.1 Lampineung, Kota Baru, Kec. Kuta
Alam, Banda Aceh City, Aceh, with zip code 23125. The school website can be
opened via http://sdn24.bubucollections.com url. If you
want to send an electronic mail (email), it can be sent to [email protected].
Research Results
This
research involved two high schools in Banda Aceh City, namely SMAN 3 Banda Aceh
City and SMAN 7 Banda Aceh City. SMAN 3 Banda Aceh City is located in the
center of Banda Aceh with a school building area of 12,160m2 inaugurated in
1977. This school is one of the most popular schools in Banda Aceh. Currently,
SMAN 3 Banda Aceh is led by Mr. Muhibbul Khibri, S.Pd., M.Pd with 68 teachers
and 900 students. SMAN 3 Banda Aceh is a pioneer school for Mover Schools in
Aceh Province.
Meanwhile,
SMAN 7 Banda Aceh City located in Geuceu Complex, Banda Aceh City was built on
7,722 m2 of land. SMAN 7 Banda Aceh is led by Mrs. Erlawana, with 64 teachers
and 739 students. SMAN 7 Kota Banda Aceh is also a driving school since 2011.
Both
schools attracted the author's attention to conduct further studies involving
principals / curriculum waka and subject teachers. The reason that concerns the
author about these two schools is in terms of the quality of education provided
and also the school programs offered. School quality indicators can be seen
from the highest SNMPTN graduation. The SNMPTN graduation rate is 47 students
in 2022 with a total of 506 high school / vocational students in Banda Aceh
City.
Meanwhile,
SMAN 7 Banda Aceh City is known as a superior school in the fields of art and
research, especially when SMAN 7 Banda Aceh City has become a driving school in
2021. SMAN 7 Banda Aceh City�
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This
chapter presents the results of research that has been carried out using
interview methods and documentation. The interviews were conducted with the
Principal, Waka Curriculum and also teachers in the field of study in 2 (two)
High Schools in Banda Aceh City, as for the information obtained based on the
results of triangulation to obtain the validity of the data. Then, the results
of the study are described and continued with discussion. The information
traced is related to the implementation of the Freedom of Learning policy in
Banda Aceh City High Schools.
The
implementation of the Free Learning policy at various levels of education in
Indonesia is one of the things that is still being studied and is also still
getting criticism from educators. This is not without reason, for some
educators this is a new thing for them, especially this is carried out closely
related to technology. The implementation of Merdeka Belajar is actually not
new in the world of education, it's just that the Ministry of Education and
Culture of the Republic of Indonesia has only implemented it since the Covid-19
Pandemic.
When viewed
in terms of the preparation of this implementation, there are many stages that
need to be passed and also these stages need to be applied also by educational
institutions such as schools that implement Merdeka Belajar. The schools that
have successfully implemented Merdeka Belajar are known as Driving Schools. If
studied further, the process or stages that need to be passed by the school to
become a Driving School is not only limited to administrative but also
contributes to teachers and students in it.
Planning
for the Implementation of the Free Learning Policy in Schools
In
implementing a policy implementation, of course, the first thing to do is to
design the implementation. The implementation of the Merdeka Belajar policy is
one of the major changes in Indonesian education, especially for teachers in
the teaching and learning process. Planning for the implementation of the
Freedom of Learning policy is also handed over to each school so that it can be
adjusted to the needs of each school and of course follow school resources.
In the
process of planning the implications of the Freedom of Learning policy, of
course, the school has prepared various efforts so that later teachers and
students can carry out the Freedom of Learning process properly. SMAN 7 Banda
Aceh and SMAN 3 Banda Aceh have a careful plan to implement this Merdeka
Belajar. Some of the steps taken by the two schools are almost similar, such as
the formation of a team for implementing the mobilizing school program which
also involved several teachers and also participated in workshops related to
Freedom of Learning organized by the Ministry of Education and Culture or the
provincial education office. Both schools also received direct assistance by
BPMP and also received online evaluations. SMAN 7 Banda Aceh City formed a
special implementation team, namely a teaching committee of 10 people. The
statement was represented by the curriculum waka of SMAN 7 Banda Aceh, as
follows�
�There
is a special committee team of 10 people involved for the Mobilizer School
Program. The teachers received special training by the Principal on the Merdeka
Belajar curriculum which could later be shared with other teachers. However,
other workshops were also given to other teachers on a rotating basis according
to the direction of the Principal. At SMAN 7, the Driving School program has
been running for 2 years and for SMAN 7 it is at the stage of going to the
independent level"
Meanwhile,
SMAN 3 Banda Aceh involves all existing teachers to jointly engage in the
Mobilizer School program. Teachers receive direct assistance from the Ministry
of Education and Culture through BPMP every month online and BPMP also helps
directly if needed by teachers of SMAN 3 Banda Aceh. This was conveyed directly
by Waka Curriculum SMAN 3 Banda Aceh, as follows:
"All
teachers are involved in this Driving School Program, but for the learning
committee team there are 11 people and all of them get direct assistance by the
Ministry of Education and Culture through BPMP regularly every month and also
get direct monitoring and they will be ready to provide guidance to the field
if needed"
The concept
of Merdeka Belajar also encourages all parties to be able to build
collaboration together with various suggestions and facilities, including
digital. The digitization process is carried out in stages according to the
introduction of digital media that can be used for the teaching and learning
process such as Google Edu and also the Merdeka Belajar platform directly. On
the other hand, teachers can also develop modules that have been presented in
the Merdeka Belajar platform according to teacher needs.
�Based on the author's observations, although
not all schools can provide digital facilities such as computers and laptops
that are qualified to be used by teachers and students simultaneously in one
day. However, the school has maximized the provision of wifi in schools that
can be utilized by teachers and students such as at SMAN 7 Banda Aceh City,
wifi facilities are obtained on every floor of the school building. SMAN 3
Banda Aceh City has also provided wifi access openly to be used for learning
purposes and students can use their respective gadgets to explore their
material even though wifi network points cannot be accessed evenly by students.
Meanwhile,
the use of the Merdeka Belajar platform has been used well by teachers and is
very helpful for teachers. One of the teachers at SMAN 7 said that all teachers
at SMAN 7 Banda Aceh had registered on the Merdeka Belajar platform and
teachers also used the platform well. Some of the functions of the platform
used by teachers are to conduct exams, share real actions, and also become a
forum for teachers to share good practices. One of the teachers has also
created a community on the platform such as a literary community that can be
accessed by all users of the Merdeka Belajar platform. In addition, SMAN 7
Banda Aceh also has a focus on student research programs where students at SMAN
7 Banda Aceh have a high interest in the field of research as one of the
freedoms that are part of Merdeka Belajar. This was conveyed through interviews
related to the development of digitalization in schools and how schools utilize
the Merdeka Belajar platform by creating a program adapted to implement the
independent curriculum, as follows:
"Teachers
at SMAN 7 are the most crowded to access and be active in the Merdeka Belajar
platform. This platform is a shared platform so we also provide our work on the
platform so that other schools can also see the various activities we carry
out. In addition, we also create communities on the platform such as literary
and Indonesian communities, communities sharing practices in Banda Aceh City.
Anyone can create programs on the platform".
On the
other hand, SMAN 3 Banda Aceh teachers as many as 90% have accessed the Merdeka
Belajar platform and have utilized it as much as possible. SMAN 3 Banda Aceh
City has also created several programs adapted to implement Merdeka Belajar
such as internal workshops related to Merdeka Belajar, Mandiri Berbagi such as
expos related to what students have done.
The
implementation of Merdeka Belajar has been implemented well and of course every
school has a plan for the implementation of the new policy. It was found that
some teachers needed more time to adapt to this policy, but all teachers worked
well together and attended various workshops to increase their insight and
expertise to continue to innovate in the development of the Merdeka Belajar
module so as to create a pleasant learning atmosphere.
Implementation
of Independent Learning in Senior High Schools in Banda Aceh City
The
implementation of Merdeka Belajar has actually been carried out since 2020 with
the aim of creating more enjoyable education for teachers and students.
However, to achieve this pleasant implementation, several things also need to
be considered, such as the role of the principal / waka curriculum / and also
teachers in facilitating and also monitoring the implementation of the policy
in schools. The role of the principal is the first step to realize this and is
coupled with supportive teamwork in implementing the policy.
Merdeka
Belajar is predicted to be able to equalize education in Indonesia in the
future. This is because each school is able to realize learning in accordance
with the readiness of each school and also the capacity of students in their
respective schools. Merdeka Belajar is a concept in the world of education that
gives freedom to schools to explore the modules that have been provided.
According
to the results of interviews conducted on curriculum waka and teachers in 2
Senior High Schools in Banda Aceh City during the implementation of Merdeka
Belajar in schools, the Principal/curriculum waka/and teachers took part in
facilitating and monitoring the implementation of the implementation, this is
in accordance with the results of interviews with the curriculum waka of SMAN 3
Banda Aceh, as follows:
"My
role in the implementation of Merdeka Belajar is almost on all fronts such as
planning programs, implementing, monitoring, and also evaluating. While the
principal is very supportive in the sense that there are times when he is
directly involved, especially in planning the program and there are times when
he just monitors. The teachers also participated in planning the modules
because it was to adjust the KSP that had been made".
The answer
regarding the role of the principal/waka curriculum/teacher from SMAN 7 Banda
Aceh also facilitates and monitors every activity of implementing the Merdeka
Belajar policy, this was conveyed through an interview with one of the teachers
as follows:
"As a
teacher we facilitate of course. We also support various programs such as
Pancasila student profiles as well as monitoring all student development as
well as approved programs�.
The role of
the entire school community is indeed one of the keys to getting success in the
implementation of this policy even including the students themselves. The
existence of good teamwork will actually make it easier to adapt to this
Merdeka curriculum. Openness to input � input is needed to improve the program
to be run.
In
implementing this Free Learning policy, there is no right and nothing wrong
because everything follows and adjusts to the needs of each school. The
programs that have been run will be reviewed later related to the process and
also the progress achieved, and this is part of the monitoring carried out by
both the principal and the waka curriculum.
In
addition, there is a need for strategies used by schools to improve the
implementation of the Freedom of Learning policy in schools. These strategies
can be carried out individually by direct teachers or special strategies from
the principal/waka curriculum. Some strategies run by teachers in the two
schools have almost the same strategies such as giving freedom to students in
the learning process following their respective skills but still following the
themes given by the Ministry of Education and Culture, developing existing
modules and tailored to students' interests and talents, and giving freedom to
students to develop their ideas that will have a good impact on them. This was
obtained from the results of interviews with teachers in 2 high schools, as
follows:
Results of
an interview with teachers of SMAN 7 Banda Aceh:
"They
have freedom, we also teach how students can be independent, create things.
They are given the freedom to choose their own field they want but still in
accordance with the theme determined by the Ministry of Education, such as the
example of class X entrepreneurship theme, children are free to develop ideas
related to entrepreneurship.
Hasil wawancara guru SMAN 3 Banda
Aceh:
"We in
that class liberate students by how we free students to develop their skills.
For example, in the classroom there are those who have drawing skills, so they
can convey information through pictures. Some are IT proficient so that they
are able to create animations that contain information related to the learning
concerned".
Based on
the results of the interview, it can be said that special strategies were also
developed by each school in order to realize success in the implementation of
the Merdeka Belajar policy. The Free Learning policy is able to balance between
freedom of learning and also academic standards that have been set. These two
high schools have the same strategy, namely by standardizing the selection of
subjects, some schools have collaborated with counseling guidance (BK) because
BK has its own assessment instrument and will be combined with grades and also
analyzed based on children's abilities and school needs.
The way
teachers analyze learning outcomes and effectiveness in compiling learning
goals and flows to be better in a formative and summative way. Where formative
assessment is an assessment of activities carried out while in class. While
summative assessment is an assessment carried out through a joint examination.
In Merdeka
Belajar, this assessment is carried out in these two categories,
standardization in student development reports will be in the form of numbers
and descriptions where teachers have the freedom to provide completeness scores
which are certainly adjusted to the child's abilities. However, in this Merdeka
Belajar policy, numbers are not too much of a specific benchmark because
student achievements have been described in detail what needs to be improved
and what major achievements they have achieved during the learning process.
The
implementation of the Merdeka Belajar policy not only liberates students but
also gives teachers a very wide freedom to develop teacher abilities and use
special strategies to achieve the�
expected learning goals. The teachers also took strategies to perfect
their learning modules by doing self-reflection both individually and with
colleagues. This was stated by one of the teachers at SMAN 3 Banda Aceh in an
interview, as follows:
�After
learning, I always evaluate what I have taught today, at least after 1 meeting.
However, for joint evaluations with other teachers, it is scheduled every 1
week with teachers who teach chemistry subjects together. As for reflection
with all other teachers, it is held in meetings once a month�.
Obstacles
in Implementing the Free Learning Policy
The Merdeka
Belajar Program is a transformative policy in the world of education, of
course, there are various obstacles that must be felt by teachers in
implementing this new policy. It is undeniable that Indonesia experiences
frequent curriculum changes compared to other countries and this also makes
teachers continue to learn new things. No wonder we see that this new policy
has not been maximized as expected by the Ministry of Education and Culture,
especially in regional schools.
Based on
the author's observation when visiting several schools to collect data for this
study, most schools have provided adequate internet access, although there are
schools that only provide limited internet access to teachers. But there are
also some schools that have internet barriers if they experience a spike in
usage or also the influence of weather. This was conveyed by one of the
teachers of SMAN 3 Banda Aceh when interviewed, as follows:
"For
the internet at SMAN 3 Banda Aceh, this is quite adequate. However, if asked
about obstacles to the internet network, there must be obstacles, such as �uneven WiFi �points, network interference, especially if
the weather is rainy and also excessive usage, for example when teachers
conduct online training."
Meanwhile,
computer laboratories are also one of the obstacles in some schools because one
school only has one to two computer laboratory rooms so that to be used
simultaneously by two different classes is not possible. This was also conveyed
by the teacher of SMAN 7 Banda Aceh, as follows:
�For
obvious barriers exist, moreover computer labs are not for all students.
Although SMAN 7 Banda Aceh has 2 computer lab rooms, it still cannot be used
simultaneously for learning. But we will distribute usage sessions for each
class on the same day."
However,
the lack of computer room facilities can be overcome well by teachers. The
implementation of exams using computers can also be carried out well in the two
schools so there is no need to borrow computer facilities from other schools.� Obstacles in terms of internet networks that
are not always friendly are considered commonplace.
However,
teachers' views on the lack of these facilities do not reduce the enthusiasm of
teachers and students. Some teachers consider that there are no obstacles in
the implementation process of Merdeka Belajar, instead they make it a learning
how in the future they can improve and continue to balance the development of
education. Some teachers change their perception of obstacles as a step for
them to implement this policy well, of course, they learn to complete things
that are considered still not optimal every day.
On the
other hand, the attitudes, interests, and motivations of students in class are
different. However, students' attitudes, interests, and motivations towards
Merdeka Belajar are very high and they are more interested in Merdeka Belajar.
If illustrated by numbers, only 2 out of 10 students have a less interested
attitude to this new curriculum. This was represented by one teacher in an
interview with the author, as follows:
"They
are more excited about Merdeka Belajar than K-13. For example, in the past
Indonesian only wrote texts, but in Merdeka Belajar they felt more appreciated
with various things that they were free to express and also the results were
better. In practice, introducing new things must be introduced slowly, but the
teenager learns faster. It is precisely teachers who experience obstacles
because they do not want to develop themselves for this new thing, teachers are
still attached to the old thing".
The steps
taken by teachers in implementing Merdeka Belajar were found by doing
self-reflection after each teaching to make teaching considerations for the
future better. The learning curriculum may continue to change, but teachers
must also continue to learn new things.�
Various steps were taken by teachers to adapt to this new policy
including assessment. Another thing that is carried out by teachers is to
develop themselves through webinars � workshops related to Merdeka Belajar.
Some
teachers also took steps to discuss adapting to this new policy both with
superiors and colleagues, this was conveyed by the waka curriculum and also
teachers of SMAN 7 Banda Aceh City, as follows:
"Teachers
must be open in the context of insight and acceptance, not just stick to one
concept. Teachers also need to learn all the time. Each teacher has a different
adaptation process, inevitably, our school has entered the Mobilizer School.
Encouragement from superiors also gives us the spirit to adapt and also
discussions with colleagues".
Based on
the results of research that has been conducted in two schools, namely SMAN 3
Banda Aceh and SMAN 7 Banda Aceh, the biggest obstacle in the implementation of
Merdeka Belajar is the funds to run Merdeka Belajar, because in the future
these two schools will become Independent Mover Schools, where funding will be
issued directly by the school for all programs that have been run. This is
conveyed directly through interviews, as follows:
"First,
this program costs a lot, besides we get funding from the Ministry of
Education, but later when we become an Independent Mover School, we no longer
get financial support. While the programs we make are classified as large
funds, especially research programs, once entering the research lab they need
200 thousand funds to buy the equipment / mixture they need. We also do not
know whether in the future the local government will help or not, because so
far it is only a form of appreciation when our school children managed to get
awards in competency events representing the region".
The change
from an ordinary school to a driving school provides benefits such as improving
the quality of learning outcomes within three years. In addition, increasing
the competence of school principals and teachers is also an advantage obtained
and directly provided by the Ministry of Education and Culture. Another
advantage is the acceleration of digitalization in schools, because the Driving
School is based on the basis of digitalization.��
Discussion
Planning
for the Implementation of Independent Learning in Senior High Schools in Bnda
Aceh City
In general,
the implementation of the Merdeka Belajar policy aims to produce superior human
resources who are ready to compete in the global world. On the other hand, the
planning for the implementation of Merdeka Belajar is related to two important
things in implementing this new education policy, namely Merdeka Belajar and
mobilizing teachers. Merdeka Belajar means that teachers and students have the
freedom to innovate in the teaching and learning process.
In
addition, to realize what has been discussed by Minister of Education and
Culture Nadiem Makarim regarding the implementation, of course, each school and
teacher needs to make their own plans, because each school will adjust to their
respective abilities and needs. Currently, not all schools are able to become
driving schools in Aceh Province. In 2021, only a few schools have succeeded in
becoming driving schools, including SMAN 3 Banda Aceh and SMAN 7 Banda Aceh.
In
realizing the implementation of the new policy, schools have already made plans
for what they will do to succeed the policy. Complex planning needs to be done
by each school to drive successful implementation of policies in their schools.
Some of these steps and planning have been carried out following the direction
of the Ministry of Education and Culture and this has also been carried out by
other schools in Indonesia as stated by (Ratsyari, 2021) related to school readiness in the implementation
of Independent Learning in SMK, namely;
"Several implementations for
Merdeka Belajar have been implemented such as the principal's policy on school
examinations by implementing an examination form that can be developed by each
teacher with flexible exam times in accordance with the form of school
examination assessment.� In addition,
teachers also make questions in the learning module which include questions of
understanding, comparison, reasoning, analysis, and evaluation. Next, the
Guidance Counseling teacher provides time and opens a counseling period every
Saturday for students to voice their talents and interests to make it easier
for teachers to adjust school programs�.
According to all aspects that need to
be considered in implementing the Merdeka Belajar policy, teachers must also
continue to learn all the important points in developing a plan for the
implementation of Merdeka Belajar in their classrooms. Teachers and students
continue to strive to work together to realize learning and teaching goals such
as through direct discussions with students. The principal and also the waka
curriculum also encourage teachers to continue to adapt to new things.
(Yamin & Syahrir, 2020) also stated that there are several aspects of
Merdeka Belajar oriented to learning that prioritizes literacy while still
carrying out the development and development of education including honesty,
fairness, discipline, tolerance, creativity, responsibility, high curiosity,
respect, care for the environment, love peace, care for social, and also the
spirit of nationhood.
Based on the statement above, it can
be said that the planning for the implementation of the Merdeka Belajar policy
is not solely to develop the quality of schools but also remains with the aim
of developing human resources so that they become superior human resources as
the initial purpose of this policy. Thus, careful planning involving all
aspects is carried out by driving schools not only in Aceh but throughout
Indonesia by following their respective needs.
Implementation of the Free Learning Policy in
Senior High Schools in Banda Aceh City
In its stages, the implementation of
the Merdeka Belajar policy follows the Indonesian Education Map in which
several important aspects need to be considered such as the direct involvement
of school principals / curriculum waka / and also teachers in full. In
addition, the implementation of policies related to various strategies used by
teachers to improve implementation implementation, the process of balancing
student freedom with academics, teacher strategies in analyzing student
learning outcomes, and the reflection of the principal and his staff on the
implementation process so far they have been running.
The implementation of the Merdeka
Belajar policy cannot be separated from the monitoring of the principal and
waka curriculum on what has been done by the teachers. Referring to the
Indonesian Education Map section of Merdeka Belajar (2021), the principals /
waka curriculum / and teachers work together to build an innovative learning
environment. Meanwhile, the role of the principal himself in developing Merdeka
Belajar is several of them:
1) Educating teachers regarding
freedom of learning so that teachers do not lose their direction. The trick is
to pay attention to teacher competence, provide direction, provide
encouragement, and facilitate teacher needs. One way that principals can do this
is by providing training to teachers.
2) Monitoring school activities by
ensuring that school activities and all programs that have been fostered run
properly. The principal also participates in the maintenance and professional
development of teachers.
3) The principal also acts as a
supervise in the implementation of the Merdeka Belajar policy. In this case,
school principals need to ensure that teachers have begun to implement teaching
styles in accordance with the Merdeka curriculum, such as applying
differentiated learning methods, implementing digitalization during the
learning process, and including Pancasila student profiles.
4) Creating a good working climate so
that teachers provide superior performance. This can be done by structuring
school activities clearly and informing all teachers. Tell the teacher about
each teacher's work goals. Can listen to all input from teachers in the
preparation of work programs and school programs.
The explanation above clearly
explains that the planning for the implementation of Merdeka Belajar is not
only for teachers who do it but there is the involvement of all parties in
synergy. In addition, the implementation of the Merdeka Belajar policy requires
all parties to work together and learn to continue to improve themselves, in
other words, Merdeka Belajar is one of the first steps in implementing lifelong
learning for both teachers and students.
Meanwhile, although Merdeka Belajar
aims to be independent of students and provide freedom to students in
determining their ways and interests, it is inseparable from complex learning
assessments. This was stated by (Ratsyari, 2021), namely:
"The Minimum Competency
Assessment (AKM) planning in 2021 is based on the principal's policy by
assigning literacy summary tasks to students. In addition, teachers also make
questions in the learning module which include questions of understanding, comparison,
reasoning, analysis, and evaluation".
This is done to make students have
more critical abilities, have emotional sensitivity, are talented and have high
imagination. In addition, the assessment is still carried out in numbers and
descriptions. However, assessment in Merdeka Belajar is still based on the
ability of exams and students' daily lives.
Obstacles in the Implementation of the Free
Learning Policy in Senior High Schools in Banda Aceh City
Every policy implementation will
definitely have obstacles that will also become lessons so that in the future
the policy will be more perfect, especially for a new policy. This is also part
of the policy of implementing Merdeka Belajar in Senior High Schools. Moreover,
this new policy is very different from previous policies, even some critics
state that Indonesia is not ready to implement such a policy especially based
on digitalization.
In reviewing the inhibiting factors
of the implementation of the Merdeka Belajar policy, it is necessary to study
from the aspects of internal factors and external factors. The internal factor
is in terms of students' readiness to receive material and how to learn Merdeka
Belajar. While external factors are from the condition of school and teacher
readiness to implement this Merdeka Belajar. This was also expressed by
Sugihartono (in Neva Lionita, 2020), among these internal factors are as
follows: 1) student intelligence level, 2) student behavior, 3) student talent,
4) student interest, 5) student motivation, 6) student emotions, 7) student
adjustment.
However, on the other hand, the
biggest obstacles in the field related to school readiness and also the
implementation of Merdeka Belajar are school facilities such as inadequate
internet network availability, such as uneven internet points, lack of access
caused by excess usage, and also due to weather disturbances. There are also
barriers related to other facilities such as lack of projectors and access to
computer labs. This is also stated by Neva Lionita (2020) related to the
inhibiting factors in the implementation of Merdeka Belajar as follows:
�Although the learning equipment and facilities in
supporting the implementation of Merdeka Belajar are good, there are still
several other obstacles that still need to be fixed such as the lack of
projectors in the classroom, some teaching aids, and also computer laboratories
that cannot be accessed simultaneously".
A similar
situation also occurs in SMAN 3 and SMAN 7 Banda Aceh, but they can respond by
distributing time to every teacher and student who wants to use facilities such
as projectors, teaching aids, and laboratories. It is undeniable that these
facilities are learning supports, but also teachers must look for other
creative ideas so that students continue to be enthusiastic about learning
despite these obstacles.
Another
obstacle in the implementation of Merdeka Belajar is the ability of teachers to
adapt better than students. Teachers are still adapting to the culture shock
of this policy change and are still adjusting even though many teachers are
still carried away by the learning atmosphere of the previous curriculum. (Pujianti,
Setiawan, & Hendriana, 2023) shared the culture shock of teachers towards the
implementation of Merdeka Belajar into four phases, namely:
1. Honeymoon
phase. This phase occurs before the implementation of Merdeka Belajar is
carried out.
2. Crisis
phase. This phase illustrates the difficulty of teachers in implementing
Merdeka Belajar in the classroom.
3. Phase
adjustment. This phase is the phase where teachers begin to find solutions to
problems experienced before.
4.
Integration phase. This phase is when teachers and schools are accustomed to
implementing Merdeka Belajar.
Principals
/ waka curriculum and teachers who are at SMAN 3 Banda Aceh and also SMAN 7
Banda Aceh at this time are still in the adjustment phase and some have been in
the integration phase. Teachers are getting used to implementing Merdeka
Belajar learning even though they are still looking for various solutions to
every problem they face.
Based on the results of
research encountered in the field and the discussion of this research, the
implementation of the Freedom of Learning policy in Banda Aceh City High School
is carried out well even though the stages of implementation are still being
studied and developed by schools.� So,
from the research conducted, the following conclusions can be drawn:
The implementation of the Freedom to
Learn policy has been carried out since 2021 where SMAN 3 and SMAN are the
pioneers of Driving Schools in Aceh Province. Careful planning has been carried
out in accordance with the direction of the Ministry of Education and Culture
where teachers continue to try to adapt to the steps of participating in
webinars and workshops as well as direct assistance by the Ministry of
Education and Culture.
The implementation of the Merdeka
Belajar policy at SMAN 3 and SMAN 7 can be said to be going well where these
two schools have met the requirements to become driving schools such as
digitalization, participation of principals, waka curriculum, and teachers in
facilitating and monitoring the implementation of Merdeka Belajar,
standardizing student progress reports, and also creating a learning
environment according to student talents and interests.
Factors supporting the successful
implementation of Merdeka Belajar at SMAN 3 and SMAN 7 include: 1) direct
support and encouragement from the principal for teachers to continue learning
and adapting to learn the Merdeka Belajar program. 2) There is direct guidance
from the Ministry of Education and Culture even though it is online every week.
3) There is direct guidance and evaluation from BPMP every month who comes to
school so that teachers are more focused. 4) Students prefer the Merdeka
Belajar program compared to K-13 because they feel their abilities are more
valued.
The obstacles experienced by SMAN 3
and SMAN 7 Banda Aceh City in implementing the Freedom of Learning policy are
as follows: 1) The internet network available at SMAN 3 Banda Aceh has not
spread at all points. Meanwhile, both schools experienced network bottlenecks
when internet usage was crowded. 2) The use of computer laboratories in schools
cannot be used simultaneously by students to carry out computer-based
examinations. However, the shift division step was carried out by the two
schools. 3) Merdeka Belajar is a program that requires large funds in the
future when both schools have the status of Independent Mover Schools. 4) There
has been no discussion from the Provincial/Regional Education Office regarding
financial assistance for Independent Mover Schools in the future, which is one
of the obstacles as well as learning for both schools.
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