Examining challenges and opportunities to improve the quality of education in Indonesia

Highlights

This report presents the findings of a diagnostic study aimed at identifying challenges and opportunities for transforming the quality of education in Indonesia. The study was conducted under the auspices of the Mitra Pendidikan Indonesia (MPI)/ Local Education Group (LEG), co-chaired by the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (MoPSE) – formerly the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology (MoECRT) – and the Ministry of Religious Affairs (MoRA). The Global Partnership for Education (GPE) financed this research, under the GPE System Capacity Grant Part 1, for which UNICEF Indonesia is Grant Agent. A research advisory group, formed from members of the MPI/LEG, provided technical advice during the research process. In undertaking this study, the SMERU Research Institute (SMERU) collaborated with visiting researchers from Muhammadiyah and Nahdlatul Ulama (NU).

This study explores elements that enhance foundational skills (literacy and numeracy) and 21st century skills (creative thinking and critical reasoning), utilizes existing national student assessment data: the National Assessment (Asesmen Nasional - AN) from MoPSE, the Madrasah Competency Assessment (Asesmen Kompetensi Madrasah Indonesia - AKMI) from MoRA, and other data sources to help provide an overview of student learning outcomes.

The study reveals that the implementation of a student-centred national curriculum, diverse representation of teachers, parental engagement, and a positive school environment are key factors influencing learning achievement. The availability of libraries and internet access in schools and madrasahs has varying impacts on student learning outcomes, depending on the educational context, showing positive correlations in some settings, while appearing less significant in others.