Analisis Kebijakan Kurikulum pada Aspek Pendidikan Karakter di Indonesia

Abstract

Curriculum policy analysis is a process aimed at evaluating and examining policies related to all activities that support the learning process. The curriculum is designed to achieve national education goals, which extend beyond improving students' academic performance to include the development of skills and character. The implementation of the Merdeka Curriculum, which emphasizes character education, still faces various challenges, such as disparities in resources, limited teacher understanding, approaches that are not yet fully contextualized with students' lives, and the lack of involvement from the educational tri-center (schools, families, and communities). This study aims to examine curriculum policies in the development of character education. A literature review method with a descriptive approach was employed in this research. The findings indicate that character education is a crucial aspect of shaping students' personalities, focusing not only on cognitive development but also on values, emotions, and behaviors. The Merdeka Curriculum positions character education as a central pillar through a flexible, integrative, and holistic approach. Character is developed through teaching and learning activities, habituation, role modeling, extracurricular activities, and the Pancasila Student Profile Reinforcement Project (P5). The roles of educators and parents are vital as mentors, guides, and role models in the character-building process. Collaboration among schools, families, and communities is key to the successful implementation of character education in Indonesia.