90 Percent Of Schools In West Java Implement Independent Curriculum

Illustration of schoolchildren (ANTARA)

A total of 4,582 of 5,094 schools under the auspices of the West Java Education Office have successfully implemented the Merdeka Curriculum. This number consists of 1,626 high schools (SMA), 2,642 vocational high schools (SMK), and 314 extraordinary schools (SLB). Thus, there are still 149 high schools, 286 vocational schools, and 77 special schools that have not implemented the Merdeka Curriculum.

For all levels of education, schools that have implemented the Independent Curriculum in West Java have reached 36,201 schools. Referring to the dashboard implementation of the Independent Curriculum (IKM) of the West Java Education Quality Guarantee Center (BBPMP), the number of IKM schools is divided into three categories, namely independent learning as many as 10,833 schools, independently changing as many as 24,496, and independently sharing as many as 872 schools. The dashboard data refers to independent registration online, not including those offline through the local Education Office.

"We continue to strengthen schools that have implemented the Merdeka Curriculum. Meanwhile, schools that have not registered, the West Java Education Office has been coaching to see the various obstacles faced and are encouraged to register or implement them in the 2024/2025 school year," said West Java Education Office Secretary Deden Saepul Hidayat, Thursday, May 30.

Deden hopes that the West Java Education Festival activities, which will also be held by the Merdeka Curriculum Festival, will become a socialization event that displays stories and practices, both the Implementation of the Merdeka Curriculum and raises the spirit of collaboration in continuing the Free Learning movement in West Java. The 2024 West Java Education Festival lasts for four days at the Ganesha Cultural Sasana, from May 29 to June 1, 2024.

"Hopefully the West Java Education Festival can inspire all education personnel in West Java and strengthen their commitment to realizing the transformation of education to produce a superior future generation. The West Java Provincial Education Office is here to prepare future generations to face the challenges of very fast, complex, and uncertainties, by launching Education Transformation with the Best Educated tagline," Deden hoped.

Di tempat yang sama, Kepala BBPMP Jawa Barat Sri Wahyuningsih menjelaskan bahwa Festival Kurikulum Merdeka merupakan ruang untuk memberikan apresiasi kepada pelaku-pelaku pendidikan, khususnya di satuan pendidikan dan Dinas Pendidikan di Jawa Barat. Secara khusus apresiasi progres belajar pada platform Merdeka Mengajar yang berhasil mencapai capaian tertinggi. Apresiasi juga diberikan kepada pemerintah daerah yang aktif menggunakan platform Merdeka Mengajar.

In addition, the best work in conveying the story of the meaning of IKM through the use of various sources in the form of portraits of stories. The best story is those who have succeeded in giving a deep impression on how IKM is carried out, especially understood, interpreted, and implemented. That way, able to describe a deep impression in an effort to improve the quality of learning in education units.

"Alhamdulillah, more than 2,000 works have been included. The enthusiasm of the community is extraordinary to convey to the world, to the public, how the use of this IKM has actually been carried out in the education unit and how to implement encouraging the character of our children in the use of the Pancasila student profile strengthening project (P5)," Sri said.

Sri assessed that the Merdeka Curriculum had brought important changes in the practice of education in West Java Province. This change is the transformation of learning at the level of education units in all aspects. Starting from improving learning methods, the emergence of learning leadership among teachers and school principals, and the increasing involvement of parents in overseeing the learning process of their children in schools.

The most common change is the improvement of the teacher's learning method. The more teachers are motivated to reflect, analyze the learning problems they face, and find the right method to make students more comfortable learning. Teacher learning methods are now getting richer and more diverse," Sri said proudly.

BBPMP West Java Province hopes that after the Merdeka Curriculum is designated as a national curriculum through the Regulation of the Minister of Education, Culture, Research and Technology Number 12 of 2024 concerning Curriculum in Early Childhood Education, Basic Education Levels, and Secondary Education Levels, innovation and learning transformation to improve the quality of education in West Java can be faster and more massive.

Sri emphasized that the Merdeka Curriculum Festival is a forum for educators and education personnel in West Java. This is an extraordinary momentum to strengthen and unite. For Sri, education in each region can be a different achievement. Even so, not to be competed, but to be given encouragement.

"The quality of education is the responsibility of all of us. Let's move together to continue the policy of Freedom of Learning. The policy of Freedom of Learning is in principle to help educational units to encourage transformation in educational units. So once again, let's be sincere with intention, with collaboration, a commitment to continue Freedom of Learning, "said Sri.

Meanwhile, the Head of the West Java BBPMP Innovation and Transformation Working Team, Dini Irawati, stated that the Merdeka Curriculum Festival is like an innovation harvest season and learning transformation produced by the Independent Curriculum. The innovation and transfoemasis were also displayed at the opening of the Merdeka Curriculum Festival and were exhibited at the West Java Education Festival in Sasana Budaya Ganesha.

"We need to see the real results of the Merdeka Curriculum after being carried out for three years since 2022. Therefore, during the festival we listen to direct experiences about the success stories of teachers, school principals, and the education office guarding the implementation of the independent curriculum in the field," added Dini.