TEMPO.CO, Bali - The Indonesian Minister of Education, Culture, Research and Technology, Nadiem Makarim, has said that the transformation of education under the “Merdeka Belajar” (Free Learning) program has been the key to improving the quality of education in Indonesia. The intervention in the use of technology by teachers, principals, and the heads of the education department has succeeded in simplifying the administrative process. As a result, all parties can now focus on the learning process, which prioritizes the needs of students and opens up more learning opportunities.

Over the past five years, Indonesia has made significant changes to its education system. "We are using technology as a balance to the education system to enhance the potentials of education drivers, which include teachers, principals, and [education] department heads so that they can collaborate and improve the quality of education services for students," the minister said at the Gateways Study Visit Indonesia (GSVI) 2024 event in Bali on Wednesday, 1 October. 

According to Nadiem, his office has implemented an education transformation through technology development that aims to improve learning activities in the classroom by shifting the administrative burden of teachers and principals to technology so they can focus on creating fun learning programs for students.

Nadiem said that one of the first steps done in Indonesia’s education transformation was building a special team to develop various technology products that will help form policies to accommodate the needs of teachers, principals, and students. It was not an easy start due to the paternalistic views of the policymakers. 

“The government seemed to think they knew everything about their constituents and what they needed,” he said.

But the Gojek founder continued his plan to use technology in Indonesia’s education transformation. He claimed that other ministries even used the same method. “After two years of creating these products, other ministries began to become curious, asked us what we did, and then built their own team,” Nadiem said.

In several regions, government apps have been successful in accommodating educational programs and management. The principal of SMAN 3 Denpasar State High School, Kadek Dwi Rustinawati, said that apps such as 'Rapor Pendidikan' had helped her school make decisions. "Before, decisions could not be made immediately," she said. Previously, educational data had to be collected from various surveys and meetings. After using the application, decision-making is faster, and program evaluation is easier.

But there were challenges. In SMAN 3 State High School, some senior teachers found it difficult to use the apps. "They are working with young teachers," said Kadek.

There was another challenge. Teachers or schools in remote areas were faced with limited access to the internet or electricity. Some efforts have been made to alleviate this problem. "We have a program called 'Awan Penggerak'," said Yudhistira Nugraha, head of the Data and Technology Information Center at the Ministry of Education.

This program provides flexible access to various learning resources and applications via the Internet. "There are several teachers who help other teachers," Yudhistira said.

Purwani Diyah Prabandari

Editor's Choice: Indonesia Shares Experience on Education Transformation

Click here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News