Analysis of the Implementation of Education Democracy in Indonesia - Regulations, Models, Problems, and Future Prospects

Sep 10, 2026

The study examines the existence and direction of education democracy in Indonesia by focusing on regulations, implementation models, field problems, and future prospects. Data are drawn from official government policy records, including laws and ministerial regulations, curriculum implementation guides, and policy discussions in mass media, articles, and research journals, analyzed using philosophical-dialogical analysis. Results show that education autonomy provisions cannot be implemented effectively due to limitations in teacher professionalism, and weak, ineffective education and learning management systems misaligned with administrative requirements and the spirit of autonomy, while national control erodes community freedom.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages10

Reading Time25 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Literature Review

Analysis of Regulations, Models, and Problems

Findings and Future Prospects

South African Journal of Education, Volume 44, Number 2, May 2024 1 Art. \#2324, 10 pages, [https://doi.org/10.15700/saje.v44n2a2324](https://doi.org/10.15700/saje.v44n2a2324) Analysis of the implementation of education democracy in Indonesia (regulations, models, problems, and future prospects) Sembodo Ardi Widodo Department of Islamic Education, Faculty of Education, State Islamic University Sunan Kalijaga, Yogyakarta, Indonesia [sembodoaw@yahoo.co.id](sembodoaw@yahoo.co.id) The study reported on here was intended to reveal the existence and direction of education democracy in Indonesia with regard to the regulations, the implementation models, problems, and future prospects. The data were obtained from various written materials of official government policy records, namely, laws, ministerial regulations, curriculum implementation guidebooks, discourses and policy criticisms on the implementation of education democracy in Indonesia published in mass media, articles and research journals. The data were analysed using philosophical-dialogical analysis. The findings indicate that in terms of practice, the regulations related to education democracy in the form of education autonomy still could not be implemented properly because of several constraints such as a lack of teachers’ professionalism, poor and less effective management of education and learning systems which are not in line with the administrative prerequisites and principles and spirit of education autonomy. Moreover, through its policies, the government still controlled education nationally resulting in autonomy that should provide maximum freedom to the community to manage education is being eroded, which limits the autonomy of education. Keywords: democracy; education; education democracy; implementation; model; problem; prospect; regulation Introduction Democracy is not a theoretical construct, but rather a result of interaction, namely, the way the system and its institutions interact with the cultural setting and the individuals who actually participate in the interaction. Institutions and practices are embedded in culture, therefore, schools that carry out educational practices cannot be separated from the problems of democracy (Feu, Serra, Canimas, Làzaro & Simó -Gil, 2017) . Democracy and education are two entities of which the use is often combined in concept and practice and their existence is associated with social and political problems and how democracy manifests itself– specifically in the context of education (Simpson & Dervin, 2017) . The linkage of educational democracy with social, political, and educational practices in this field often creates complex problems that need more in-depth study. All progressive education systems in the world adhere to democracy as a tenet that represents several kinds of active engagement from all elements and components in the educational context such as learners, parents, teachers, staff, and society (Haraldstad, Tveit & Kovač, 2022) . On the other hand, education democracy has fundamental principles, namely independence, freedom, and responsibility. The application of education must be based on these principles in order for learning to be independent and free and grow to be more so (Maksum, 2021) . The principles of democracy must truly form the basis of practice in education and not always be understood as an abstract concept (Reșceanu, Tran & Magnússon, 2020) . To maintain democratic principles in education, it is essential to inform citizens about the role of democracy within the educational system, as well as in general governance, through civic education programmes. A democratic society needs to rely on civic education and political commitment (Yoldas, 2015) . In Indonesia, education is still regarded to be influenced by political rules. Political influence in education is stated in mandatory rules or instructions that must be carried out by schools or teachers which , in practice, often c

FAQs

What does the study aim to reveal about education democracy in Indonesia?

It aims to reveal the existence and direction of education democracy in Indonesia by examining regulations, implementation models, problems, and future prospects.

What sources of data were used in the research?

The research used written materials including official government policy records such as laws, ministerial regulations, curriculum guidebooks, and policy discussions published in mass media, articles, and research journals.

Why can education autonomy regulations not be implemented properly, according to the findings?

Implementation is constrained by insufficient teacher professionalism and poor, less effective management of education and learning systems that do not align with administrative prerequisites and the spirit of autonomy.

Sep 10, 2026

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