KREASI Nias Utara, implemented by Article 33 Indonesia, collaborated with the Education Office of Nias Utara District and the Ministry of Religious Affairs (Kemenag) Office of Nias Utara to conduct a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) entitled “Collecting and Developing Knowledge Products to Improve Curriculum and Assessment Policies” on 28–29 January 2026.
The activity brought together various education stakeholders to gather experiences, good practices, and challenges related to curriculum implementation and learning assessments. The discussion findings were subsequently formulated into two policy briefs.
The first day’s discussion focused on curriculum implementation and learning processes. On the second day, the discussion continued with assessment practices in education units, particularly in early childhood education and the early grades of primary school.
During the curriculum discussion, participants explained that the implementation of the Merdeka Curriculum in Nias Utara continued to face several challenges. Although many schools had developed curriculum documents, teachers’ understanding of learning outcomes, the development of teaching modules, and the implementation of contextual learning remained uneven. Limited infrastructure and unequal access to teacher training also affected the quality of curriculum implementation in classrooms.
During the assessment session, participants emphasized that assessment is an essential part of the learning process. Teachers had implemented various forms of formative assessment, including quizzes, presentations, project rubrics, and observations.
At the early childhood education level, assessments were conducted by documenting children’s development and communicating with parents. However, challenges remained, particularly in designing appropriate assessment instruments and responding to students’ diverse abilities, including those of students with disabilities.
The discussion also highlighted other systemic issues, including the limited role of Teacher Working Groups (KKG), inadequate infrastructure, and the geographical challenges of Nias Utara, which affect access to technology and learning resources. In terms of policy, new student admissions had followed the national policy of not requiring reading, writing, and arithmetic tests, with priority given to age and school zoning.
Through a participatory discussion process, participants identified several priority issues, including strengthening teacher capacity, improving the quality of curriculum implementation, developing meaningful assessment practices, revitalizing teacher learning communities, and providing more adequate learning facilities.
The KREASI team and education stakeholders then analysed the findings and reflections from the two discussion areas and developed two policy briefs:
- Governance Reform in Curriculum and Learning to Improve the Quality of Early Childhood Education and Early Grade Primary School Learning in Nias Utara District.
- Strengthening Assessment to Improve the Quality of Early Childhood Education and Early Grade Primary School Learning in Nias Utara District.
The two documents are expected to serve as strategic references for the local government in developing more targeted education policies.