Independent Curriculum And The Challenges Of Its Implementation In The World Of Education In Indonesia

Abstract

The implementation of the Independent Curriculum is one of the government's efforts to improve the quality of education through student-centered, flexible, and adaptive learning. However, its implementation still faces various challenges related to teacher readiness, infrastructure availability, and policy and technology support in schools. This study aims to analyze the implementation of the Independent Curriculum and identify the various challenges faced in its application in Indonesian education. This study uses a qualitative approach with descriptive methods. The study involved 80 participants, consisting of 65 teachers, 10 principals, and 5 school supervisors. Data collection was conducted through literature review, open-ended questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and observations. The research instruments included interview guidelines, observation sheets, and research questionnaires. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis techniques through the stages of data reduction, coding, classification, interpretation, and drawing conclusions, supported by triangulation techniques to ensure data validity. The results showed that 65.0% of participants had a high to very high level of understanding of the Independent Curriculum. While the main challenges faced included limited teacher competency (30.0%), digital infrastructure (25.0%), and adaptation of learning tools (20.0%). In addition, 75.0% of participants assessed that the implementation of the Independent Curriculum had a positive impact on the learning process. This study concluded that the Independent Curriculum has great potential to improve the quality of learning, but its success requires the support of educator competency, educational facilities, and sustainable policies. The implications of this study are the importance of strengthening teacher capacity and equitable distribution of educational infrastructure support to increase the effectiveness of the Independent Curriculum implementation in Indonesia.