Radhiyya Indra, Jakarta – Students have praised the government's decision to expand the removal of the science (IPA), social (IPS) and language (Bahasa) study pathways to approximately 95 percent of senior high schools this academic year, saying the move is "liberating" for them.
Until recently, final-year junior high school students had to make the tough decision on which academic path to take at the next level of education: IPA or IPS. In several schools, the Bahasa option was also included.
Once students decided, they studied the selected courses related to their preferred pathways, starting from the first or second year of senior high, which then led them to their choice of university program.
However, the Education, Culture, Research and Technology Ministry has rolled out through its "Kurikulum Merdeka" (freedom curriculum) a policy to remove the academic pathways in exchange for individual courses that students can pick according to their interests.
The policy was first tested in 2021 and implemented further in 50 percent of senior high schools across the country the following year. According to the ministry's website, around 14,000 senior high schools have adopted the new policy so far.
A high-ranking official at the ministry, Anindito Aditomo, ensured that schools that are still using the previous 2013 curriculum would not be sanctioned.
"Schools that have not implemented the Kurikulum Merdeka still have two to three years to prepare for it," he told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.
Targeted learning
For 18-year-old Sani Dwi Lestari, who just graduated from SMAN 19 state senior high school in Bandung, West Java, the removal of the three study pathways has been "freeing" for her learning experience.
"It's really exciting to be able to study both science and social subjects since my first year," Sani told the Post on Monday, adding that she was able to enroll in courses that matched her interests.
She further said that not being strictly put in one pathway allowed her to be more conscious in choosing her higher education program. Sani eventually enrolled in the Bandung Textile Technology Polytechnic college this year, majoring in Textile Chemistry.
Meanwhile, 17-year-old Rabbani said that her high school in Pamulang, South Tangerang, only started the program for those younger than her, leading her juniors to be more focused on studying as they only chose specific courses.
"When they entered eleventh grade, they said it was easier to study because of the guidance and counseling teachers provided to help them reach their university targets through certain selected subjects," Rabbani said.
Suparno Sastro, the senior high school principal of Labschool Jakarta in Rawamangun, East Jakarta, claimed this policy would also lead to the removal of "disparity between science and social [studies] students", with the former often stereotyped as smarter.
The former system has also been criticized for allowing science students to opt for social studies-related university majors, but not the other way around.
"The flexibility to choose a subject based on your talent and interest means there will be higher chances for all students to do well academically and be accepted to universities with their targeted focus," Suparno said.
Improvements needed
Despite the praise, teachers urged the government to take into account educators' needs and welfare when implementing the curriculum.
Martini Sugatri, a Sociology teacher at the SMAN 1 state high school in Bantul, Yogyakarta, said that tailoring to the students' interests has led to longer work hours for teachers in particular subjects and fewer for others.
"Given [the different workloads], our current wage should be readjusted," she said, while also noting a shortage of teachers at SMAN 1 Bantul, which further hinders the school from facilitating students.
Rabbani from Pamulang separately noted that the new curriculum might lead to a loss of basic knowledge that students should learn in either the science or social studies fields.
"It also hasn't seemed to help with student stress levels, as many of my fellow students in state and private high schools have noted how stressed they are with more subjects to learn," she said.