2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

This paper evaluates Indonesia’s ‘Merdeka Belajar Kampus Merdeka’ (MBKM) curriculum, launched in 2019, which aims to transform the nation’s education system to meet 21st-century demands and prepare students for the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The MBKM curriculum emphasizes four key strategies: (1) in-depth learning approaches, (2) formative and holistic assessments, (3) teacher leadership development, and (4) integrating Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines into existing subjects to enhance critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Despite its ambitious goals, the implementation of MBKM has faced significant challenges. Geographical disparities across Indonesia’s 17,000 islands, the COVID-19 pandemic, unequal access to technology, and coordination gaps among policymakers, educators, and administrators have hindered progress. These obstacles have led to inconsistent curriculum application, jeopardizing its full implementation by the 2024 target. A detailed evaluation of historical and current education policies highlights a critical shortfall: the integration of STEM disciplines into existing subjects has been insufficient. To address these issues, this report recommends the following actions: (1) Adopt a decentralized approach to curriculum governance for flexibility across regions, (2) Align educational content with industry demands to enhance relevance, (3) Decentralize decision-making to empower local stakeholders, (4) Upskill educators to improve their capacity for delivering the curriculum, (5) Promote creative thinking by integrating technology into teaching practices. By implementing these strategic recommendations, Indonesia can overcome the challenges of the MBKM curriculum and ensure the long-term success of its educational reform efforts.