Nadiem Affirms There Is No Specialization Program At The Independent Curriculum High School Level

Nadiem Makarim/Photo: Antara

JAKARTA - Minister of Education, Culture, Research and Technology (Mendikbudristek) Nadiem Anwar Makarim said there was no specialization program at the high school level in the Merdeka Curriculum.

“In the high school program, there are no more specialization programs for schools that choose the Independent Curriculum. There are no more specializations, students can choose subjects that match their interests and aspirations in the last two years of high school," said Nadiem at the launch of Merdeka Learning Episode 15: Merdeka Curriculum and the Merdeka Mengajar Platform which was monitored in Jakarta, Friday 11 February.

Students who have entered the adult category are given the maturity to choose. And there's no more compartmentalization in IPA and IPS specialization.

Nadiem added that this has been done in many international programs and has been applied in developed countries.

"Teachers also teach according to the stage of achievement and development of students. This is an extraordinary change that teachers are asking for,” he explained.

Nadiem admitted that many teachers protested against him because teachers were forced to move forward without thinking about the students who were left behind. Schools are given the authority to develop curriculum and learning in accordance with the characteristics of the education unit and students.

“The level of independence is given to students, teachers and schools. This is not a curriculum that shackles schools, but it is a curriculum that gives independence to school members," he explained again.

Merdeka curriculum is also simpler and. in-depth because it focuses on essential material and the development of student competencies in the next phase. The next phase is more relevant and interactive, because learning through project activities provides wider opportunities for students to actively explore actual issues.

Schools are also given a choice in implementing the curriculum. The school has three options for implementing the new curriculum, namely applying several parts and principles of the Independent Curriculum without changing the curriculum of the education unit applied, applying the Independent Curriculum using the teaching tools provided, and applying the Independent Curriculum with develop their own various teaching tools. Schools are free to determine the curriculum they will use, be it the 2013 Curriculum, the Emergency Curriculum and the Independent Curriculum.