Save the Children organized the Dissemination of the Baseline Study Results of the KREASI Program to present initial findings on the condition of foundational learning in several program target areas. The event, held in a hybrid format in South Jakarta, brought together representatives from national and local governments, development partners, research institutions, and local implementing partners.
The dissemination aimed to share key findings from the baseline study conducted by Pusat Studi Pendidikan dan Kebijakan (PSPK) with education stakeholders while also creating space for discussion to enrich the analysis, assess the relevance of the findings to field conditions, and formulate directions for program follow-up. The discussions are expected to support the establishment of targets and implementation strategies for the KREASI Program, particularly in improving the quality of literacy, numeracy, and character learning in a more inclusive and adaptive manner.
The KREASI Program baseline study was conducted in 248 schools across eight districts, involving approximately 5,770 respondents consisting of students, teachers, school principals, parents, and local stakeholders. The study used a mixed-method approach through surveys, classroom observations, policy document analysis, and focus group discussions.
The study examined the state of learning through four main areas of focus: curriculum and assessment, teaching practices, school leadership, and child protection systems in schools. It also considered contextual factors influencing learning quality, such as socioeconomic disparities, gender, disability, and climate change challenges.
Initial Findings: Challenges Beginning in Early Childhood Education
One of the key findings of the study is the limited access to early childhood education. A total of 22.1 percent of students in the early grades of primary school had never attended early childhood education (PAUD) before entering elementary school. This condition affects children’s school readiness, particularly in early literacy and executive function skills that serve as the foundation for learning in subsequent stages.
The study also revealed disparities in learning outcomes between students from lower and higher socioeconomic backgrounds at the early childhood education level. These differences are most visible in literacy abilities and motor development.
At the primary school level, variations in learning outcomes are not entirely explained by socioeconomic factors. Instead, they are more strongly influenced by regional contexts, the quality of school leadership, and classroom teaching practices. Numeracy emerged as one of the lowest-performing skill areas, with significant gaps observed between students based on gender and those experiencing learning difficulties.
The study also found that adaptation of the national curriculum to local contexts remains limited. Many schools in the regions still face difficulties adjusting the curriculum to the needs of students and the characteristics of their communities. Teachers and school principals reported that they lack clear guidance on how to carry out contextual curriculum adaptation.
In addition, climate change education in schools remains fragmented and has not yet been systematically integrated into the curriculum. At the regional level, policy implementation related to climate change is largely focused on disaster mitigation, while monitoring or evaluation systems related to climate resilience in the education sector remain very limited.
Teaching Practices Are Not Yet Fully Inclusive
In classroom practice, most teachers reported that they have attempted to implement differentiated learning. However, school principals noted that teachers still require further capacity strengthening to effectively tailor instruction to the diverse needs of students.
Teachers also face various challenges in the learning process, including heavy administrative workloads and the wide range of student abilities within a single classroom. These conditions make it difficult to fully implement learning strategies that respond to students’ individual needs.
From an inclusion perspective, the study found that teaching materials used by teachers still provide minimal representation of gender and disability. In practice, some teachers also continue to hold differing perceptions or biases toward students based on gender.
The use of mother tongue in classroom learning also remains incidental and has not yet been systematically planned. In fact, the use of mother tongue can support smoother learning transitions for students in the early grades.
In the context of inclusive education, most teachers who teach students with disabilities reported that they have not yet received adequate support to facilitate their learning needs. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) has not been formally adopted as a systemic approach to teaching, meaning that identifying student learning needs often depends on individual teacher initiative.
In addition, many schools do not yet have special education support teachers. Teachers who assist students with special needs generally do not have a background in special education, highlighting the need for stronger training and support systems.
School Leadership and the Use of Data
The study also highlighted the importance of instructional leadership by school principals in improving learning quality. In general, principals have attempted to carry out instructional leadership roles, but implementation still faces various challenges.
Some school principals have developed school visions and missions that reflect local contexts and have sought to support teacher professional development. However, school policies often remain administrative in nature and have not fully encouraged inclusive and innovative teaching practices.
In school program planning, many principals have utilized the Education Report Card (Rapor Pendidikan) as a source of data. However, the analysis of this data remains limited to mapping basic achievement and has not yet been widely used to understand learning gaps in greater depth.
Limited data literacy, constrained budgets for follow-up actions, and the lack of external analytical support are among the challenges in using data for evidence-based planning.
The study also noted the presence of women in school leadership positions. However, they continue to face structural, social, and cultural challenges, including the dual burden of domestic responsibilities and professional roles.
Child Protection and Systemic Challenges
Child protection emerged as another important focus of the study. Although some schools have established policies for the prevention and handling of violence, implementation remains uneven.
In many schools, child protection policies remain administrative in nature and are not yet fully implemented in everyday practice. Child Violence Prevention and Response Teams (TPPK) that have been established also have not functioned effectively.
Teachers generally reject the use of physical violence in the learning process. However, in practice, disciplinary approaches often still rely on administrative sanctions or punishment, and have not fully adopted positive discipline approaches.
Children also face multiple vulnerabilities in the school environment, including economic challenges, limited access to inclusive reporting mechanisms, and weak cross-sector coordination in handling violence cases.
Furthermore, climate change has not yet been fully recognized as part of the child protection system within educational institutions. Many schools do not yet have adequate procedures or preparedness measures to respond to potential disasters.
Stakeholder Responses
During the discussion session, various stakeholders shared reflections and responses to the study findings.
Representatives from the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education emphasized the importance of support from local governments and school supervisors to ensure effective curriculum implementation. They also highlighted the need for early literacy and numeracy assessments to map students’ skill levels from the beginning so that learning interventions can be implemented more effectively.
Representatives from the Ministry of Religious Affairs explained that madrasahs generally follow the national curriculum developed by the Ministry of Education, with differences mainly in religion-based subjects. At the policy level, the ministry has also developed an eco-theology concept that integrates environmental issues through a religious education approach.
A representative from the Kayong Utara District Education Office noted that many teachers still have limited understanding of the rationale behind curriculum changes. Many teachers perceive curriculum changes simply as new policies rather than as efforts to improve learning quality.
Development partners such as INOVASI and Tanoto Foundation also provided input on the study analysis. They suggested that learning outcome analysis should be conducted in greater depth to understand the distribution of student abilities, including differences between students with basic skills and those who have reached higher-order thinking skills.
They also emphasized the importance of examining the relationship between teaching practices and student learning outcomes, including how formative assessment is used in classroom learning.
Several partners also highlighted the importance of strengthening data-driven school leadership and involving teacher training institutions (LPTK) in supporting the professional development of teachers and school principals.
Future Directions
Through this dissemination, the KREASI Program aims to strengthen collaboration among government institutions, educational organizations, development partners, and communities in improving the quality of basic education in Indonesia.
The baseline study findings will serve as a foundation for developing program intervention strategies, including strengthening teacher capacity in differentiated learning, integrating gender equality and social inclusion principles, enhancing instructional leadership among school principals, and reinforcing child protection systems within educational institutions.
The study also opens opportunities for further research, including evaluating the impact of school leadership on learning quality, analyzing the integration of GEDSI principles within the education system, and strengthening integrated child protection mechanisms in schools.
Through an evidence-based approach and cross-sector collaboration, the KREASI Program is expected to contribute to improving the quality of basic education in Indonesia so that it becomes more inclusive, responsive to local contexts, and better prepared to address future challenges.
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Full Report: https://indonesia-kreasi.or.id/publication/laporan-studi-awal-program-kreasi/