FIDELALIKA INASA PUTRI ARSALAN</strong
Bimbingan dan Konseling, Fakultas Ilmu Pendidikan, Universitas Negeri Surabaya
E-mail : firstname.lastname@example.org
This article discusses that the Government of Indonesia’s efforts to address students’ low reading and math competencies and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education. Through the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), it was revealed that most students in Indonesia are below the minimum competency level in reading and mathematics. In response to this, the Ministry of Education has implemented an emergency curriculum that has shown positive results in reducing learning lag. In addition, Merdeka Belajar Curriculum, which allows students to choose their own subjects, is expected to meet the diverse needs of students and aims to produce a generation with academic, emotional, and social intelligence. This curriculum is based on the principles of freedom of choice, autonomous learning, flexibility, relevance, and character development. Although its implementation involves various parties and has its own challenges, it is hoped that this curriculum will benefit students and the education system in Indonesia.
The Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) is a study that shows that most students in Indonesia are still below the minimum competency in understanding simple reading or applying basic mathematical concepts. Over the past ten to fifteen years, there has been no significant improvement in these PISA scores. The study also showed large gaps between regions and socio-economic groups in the quality of learning. This problem is further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. To address this, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology (MoECT) has simplified the curriculum under special conditions (emergency curriculum) to mitigate the impact of the pandemic. The results of using the emergency curriculum show a positive impact in reducing learning lag. The effectiveness of this curriculum reinforces the importance of changing the curriculum design and implementation strategy more comprehensively. In the world of education, the curriculum has a strategic role as the heart of learning activities. The curriculum is the foundation for teaching and learning activities and is a tool to achieve educational goals. However, the curriculum is not static and must always adapt to the times. In Indonesia, the curriculum has undergone several changes, and one of the latest concepts being implemented is the Merdeka Belajar Curriculum. Merdeka Belajar Curriculum is a concept that aims to give students freedom in choosing the subjects they want to take. This concept aims to encourage students to be independent in learning and ready to compete in the global world. In its implementation, Merdeka Belajar Curriculum emphasizes more autonomous and flexible learning.
This research uses a type of literature study research (literature review) with the selected review model is a narrative review. The study conducted in the narrative review model is to compare data from several journals that have been analyzed and summarized based on the author’s experience, existing theories and models. The research method used is a qualitative research method with the data source used in the form of secondary data obtained from several journals, articles and previous research, and books that can be accessed on Google Scholar.
Merdeka Belajar Curriculum is not a concept that just appears out of nowhere, but rather an answer to the demands of the times and the increasingly diverse needs of students. Along with the development of technology and information, students are faced with wider access to knowledge and information. Therefore, the curriculum needs to be adjusted so that students can gain knowledge that is relevant and useful in their lives.
In addition, the Merdeka Belajar Curriculum also responds to the demand to produce a generation that not only has academic intelligence, but also emotional and social intelligence. A generation that is able to adapt to changes