Implementation of Independent Curriculum Policy in Facing the Society 5.0 Era

The rapid development of technology in the era of society 5.0 is characterized by the rapid pace of information technology, this also makes various challenges appear in various aspects, one of which is education. The functions and objectives of National Education are none other than to develop capabilities and form distinguished national character and civilization in the context of educating the nation's life. In the education system in Indonesia. This research was conducted with a qualitative approach, through literature studies. Data collection was carried out by tracing various sources of literature or literature in the form of RI Minister of Education and Culture Regulation Number: 262/M/2022, journals, and other documents related to the independent curriculum. The independent learning curriculum is presented as an answer to the occurrence of a comprehensive transformation in all aspects, especially the demands of human resources who are able to compete and adapt. The implementation of the independent curriculum in the era of society 5.0 for 12 years of compulsory education has been implemented since February 2022 by the MENDIKBUDRISTEK as one of the independent learning programs to improve the quality of learning. Monotonous learning is a barrier for students to demonstrate their abilities and competencies. The pattern of life that is happening is increasingly dynamic as if there are no limits, this is proven by the development of the world of technology which is growing rapidly. Therefore, education must be able to keep up with the dynamics of the times. In its application, the Merdeka curriculum must also be adapted to the conditions and characteristics of each school, so as to maximize existing potential. In this case, schools must be able to identify the needs and challenges faced, and develop appropriate strategies to overcome them. Thus, it is hoped that the learning process in schools can run well and produce quality output.


INTRODUCTION
The rapid development of technology in the era of society 5.0 is marked by the rapid development of information technology (Haamann & Basten, 2018;Pomputius, 2020).It is becoming easier for people to find information, and communication between people can also be done anywhere and at any time without knowing the time of day.Technological developments in the era of society 5.0 have also created various challenges in various aspects, one of which is education (Buganová et al., 2021).Education is important for the progress of a nation.Therefore, the Indonesian government continues to strive to improve the quality of education by regularly updating the curriculum.One of the newest policies is the independent curriculum, which is expected to increase students' creativity and independence in learning.In education there is something called a curriculum, which is an educational plan that has a very important position in Implementation of the curriculum is part of the preparations that will be faced in the challenges of the future.In the future, the world of work will be filled with educational actors who are currently learning to achieve their dreams, they are students.Therefore, the curriculum is a reflection of the formation of character education that fully contributes to the future of the nation (Shiao et al., 2024).The pattern of life is becoming more dynamic as if there are no limits, this is proven by the development of the world of technology which is growing rapidly and has a full role in everyday life.Therefore, if even a little is left behind, education will not be able to keep up with the times, which are always dynamically changing.The excellence of a nation's education actually does not lie in its curriculum but in its curriculum policy, which must be in line with and in one direction in the macro national development plan.Among them are some of related relevance, namely: a. Academic criteria are intended for the curriculum to be used as a national education standard.b.Religious-moral criteria, this is related to the formation of characteristics of having devotion and having high morals.c.Employment criteria, this is intended so that the output produced is competent in the field of work in accordance with what the individual has obtained in the previous education process (Hirst, 2010).As outlined in the table above, there are two main factors that influence curriculum development in Indonesia, namely: a. Political Changes, as it happens, curriculum developments are also related to cabinet changes.
In the 1947 lesson plan curriculum, the early era of independence was influenced by great enthusiasm related to the Dutch colonial model.Meanwhile, in the 1964 curriculum, this was reinforced by the existence of political doctrines related to government during the old order, known as guided democracy.However, what happened was that this was contrary to the 1968 curriculum which had just emerged and resulted in the emergence of ideas that were determined to improve the situation and conditions of the country after the 30 SPKI movement occurred.b.Community development is related to national development needs, as is the case, in its development the curriculum is always subject to revision, this is because the condition of society, which in its planning responds to the times, will continue to make the latest innovations.During the New Order period, the curriculum certainly underwent regular improvements.So at that time there was not much revision of the curriculum which was updated, this was due to its preparation rather than improving the existing structure.This is also aimed at national development planning as stated in the Outlines of State Policy or GBHN.
Thus, it can be concluded that the curriculum development that occurs is relatively more orderly.This happened because the political situation tended to be stable during a period of very authoritarian leadership, namely during the time of President Soeharto.Then, regarding the 1975 curriculum, the curriculum is oriented towards general goals and specific educational goals, this is related to the existence of subject matter and sub-subject matter.Furthermore, in the 1984 curriculum, the curriculum was emphasized more essentially and in the 1994 curriculum the learning objectives were intended to be more about the description of the teacher's work program.Apart from that, there are four elements related to instructional activities.First, identify the meaning and goals of education.Second, choose experiences related to the learning process that are relevant to the expectations of achieving educational goals.Third, managing the learning process systematically by implementing new innovations.Fourth, evaluate the learning process that has been implemented.

Freedom to Learn in the Era of Society 5.0
Results from research (Soares et al., 2021) explains one of the activities in the planning curriculum microsite for teaching mathematics.The results show that what curriculum planning teachers plan is influenced by several actors and structures at different levels, which is in line with the picture of curriculum making as a complex interweaving and process.This means that teachers who are key to the planning process make their decisions about teaching within a social practice in which they consciously or unconsciously have to balance interests.Furthermore, this research provides new insights: for example, the fact that teachers see relationships between actors -in this case, textbooks and the National Education Agency as well as between textbooks and the nonexistent national curriculum.The consequence of this is that normative influence seems to be regarded as regulative influence.This can also be expressed in terms of "activity sites" the nanoactivity sites where textbooks are produced influence the micro-sites where planning activities occur, although teachers consider them to be macro-sites influencing micro-sites.Because teacher agency is constrained and supported by context and structure confusion arose in this study about where site activities occur and how structural influences at work can in turn negatively influence the achievement of teacher agency.Based on this data, it can be seen that the Independent Curriculum is the mainstay program of the Ministry of Education and Culture, Research and Technology in recovering learning after the Covid-19 pandemic.This curriculum, which is centered on students' interests and talents with a project-based learning oriented learning model, has been enthusiastically welcomed by educational units in East Java.It has been proven that up to the last year, 332 institutions in East Java have been appointed by the Ministry of Education and Culture, Research and Technology to become pilot projects for the implementation of the Independent Learning Curriculum, namely 204 Vocational Schools Centers of Excellence and 128 High Schools and Driving Special Schools.In these 332 institutions, the Ministry of Education and Culture, Research and Technology organizes special training for school principals and teachers to understand and be able to implement the independent curriculum.(EastJava Province KOMINFO Service, nd).

Independent Curriculum Development Policy in Elementary Schools
One of the discourses echoed by the Minister of Education and Culture, Nadiem Makarim, is freedom to learn.Three other policies, namely starting in 2021, there will be no national exams and they will be replaced with minimum competency assessments and character surveys carried out in the middle of the school level, simplification of the Learning Implementation Plan (RPP), and regulations for accepting new students.Freedom to learn can be understood as freedom to think, freedom to create, and respect or respond to changes that occur.This concept was born because education had lost its fundamental orientation, namely the development of courage and independence of thought, the absence of the need and courage to think independently.Passion for learning is a personal attitude and mood that is positively correlated with curiosity, selfconfidence and optimism.Learning events will develop if the world of education is able to foster freedom to think and try as well as openness to accepting failure or mistakes.
Refer to the study (Metz, 2009),argue that effective curriculum reform requires conceptual change on the part of teachers, on the order of conceptual change upon students' coming to understand science.This research examines elementary school teachers' thinking over time as they navigate and reflect on a reformed science curriculum, in their own classrooms and in appropriate teacher professional development programs.I use the lens of teachers' conceptualizations of problems and their transformations for the purpose of explaining the challenges teachers experience and the resulting learning.This study found marked variability in what the four case study teachers conceptualized as problematic, even though they were all veteran teachers working with essentially the same student populations, using the same curriculum, and participating in the same teacher professional development programs.From an emic perspective, the issues they identified appear reasonable.For example, if like Paula, you believe that conclusions should be left out of the practice of science (as opposed to curricular messages that purport to try to leave conclusions out of your data), then being asked to relate conclusions to the observations on which they are based will indeed seem problematic (Metz, 2009).

Implementation of the Independent Learning Curriculum in Middle School Level
Education Units According to Arisanti (Arisanti, 2022) The implementation of the Merdeka Belajar curriculum is the importance of formulating a maximum curriculum because it involves partners to achieve learning outcomes in education units (SMP).By implementing an independent curriculum it will be more relevant and interactive where project-based learning will provide broad opportunities for students to actively explore factual issues.Schools are given the freedom to choose three options in implementing the independent curriculum.First, implementing some of the principles of an independent curriculum by not changing the school curriculum used.Second, using an independent curriculum using learning facilities that have been prepared.Third, using an independent curriculum by developing your own teaching tools.The advantage of having the first independent curriculum is that it is simpler and more in-depth.Because it focuses on important material and develops students' competencies in their development phase.The existence of facilities and infrastructure also greatly supports the successful implementation of the independent curriculum in driving schools.Complete facilities and infrastructure really support the implementation of the independent curriculum in driving schools, especially in the availability of IT tools.
The structure of the independent curriculum is intracurricular activities, projects to strengthen the profile of Pancasila students and extracurricular activities.As stated in the Decree of the Minister of Education, Culture, Research and Technology No. 162 of 2021 that the basic curriculum framework consists of: a. Curriculum structure; b.Learning outcomes; And c. Principles of learning and assessment.d.In the independent curriculum, every activity must produce a project.
The assessment in the independent curriculum in driving schools that is implemented is a comprehensive assessment that encourages students to have competencies in accordance with their talents and interests without burdening students with achieving the minimum score that students must take or it could be said that there is no longer a KKM in the independent curriculum.Independent teachers are free to carry out assessments.This is in line with what Nadiem Makarim said in Jakarta, on December 11 2019, regarding the 4 policy pillars, namely: National Examinations (UN) which will be abolished and replaced with Minimum Competency Assessments and Character Surveys, each school will be given authority In all matters relating to USBN policies, Simplification of Learning Implementation Plans (RPP), PPDB places greater emphasis on the zoning system.Implementation in schools of the drive for assessment with independent learning has positive and negative impacts.The positive impact is that there is no longer any pressure on students and teachers that students must achieve the minimum grades that have been determined, but the negative impact is less motivation for students to compete (Arwildayanto et al., 2018).

Results of Implementing the Independent Learning Curriculum in Education Units (SMP)
Based on research from (Saleh, 2022) The results of implementing the Independent Learning Curriculum in Education Units (SMP) consist of various aspects and components that can be applied in Education Units, namely: a. Form of Learning Activities The form of learning activities that apply in the Merdeka Curriculum for Middle School level consists of 3 (three) main activities, namely intracurricular activities, projects to strengthen the Pancasila student profile, and extracurricular activities.In each learning activity carried out in the Independent Curriculum, students are encouraged to actively contribute to the progress of learning.The contribution required by students is critical thinking, initiative, and being able to solve problems in learning by using effective and applicable solutions.

b. Allocation of Study Hours (JP)
The next point concerns the allocation of study hours.In the Independent Curriculum structure, lesson hours are arranged in total for one year.Apart from that, it is also necessary to provide suggestions for the allocation of study hours if they are to be made on a regular or weekly basis.In general, there is no total change in terms of class hours.It's just that the time allocation for each subject (mapel) in the Independent Curriculum is divided into two learning activities, namely intracurricular learning and learning in the form of Pancasila student projects (25%).In fact, with this kind of allocation of learning hours, at first glance routine learning in class (intracurricular form) seems to be reduced.In fact, there is no reduction in learning hours compared to the previous curriculum.It's just that some of the lesson hours in the Independent Curriculum are allocated for the project to strengthen the profile of Pancasila students, so it feels different.

c. Presenting a Project to Strengthen the Profile of Pancasila Students
As has been mentioned several times in previous points, in the Independent Curriculum there is a new form of learning, namely project-based learning.What you need to pay attention to is that this project to strengthen the profile of Pancasila students must be carried out by exploring actual and real issues in the surrounding environment.So that students are invited to think critically and skeptically about how to solve problems and find solutions.Furthermore, the implementation of the project to strengthen the profile of Pancasila students must pay attention to the following provisions: a.The selected project must be developed based on selected themes that have been determined nationally by the government through the Ministry of Education and Culture; b.CP targets are not too tied to specific subject content and assessments are more qualitative in nature by assessing students' character and learning motivation; c.Learning projects are carried out more flexibly.This means that it can be adjusted in terms of the schedule and methods applied.It is also recommended to involve the community and surrounding environment more than regular learning; d.Students are the main implementers of the project, while teachers act as facilitators who provide direction, supervision and evaluation at the end of the project.

d. Local Content
The next thing is regarding local content.In the Independent Middle School Curriculum, each educational unit or regional government can add local content that is tailored to the characteristics and needs of each school.So the local content in the Independent Curriculum is more flexible.Based on literature results from research results.Freedom to learn emphasizes providing freedom in the field of education.In this case, the teacher acts as a facilitator for students in providing learning.For this reason, development in the education sector needs to be designed so that various challenges and problems that arise can be overcome.One way to develop the education sector is by implementing an independent learning policy which includes National Standard School Examinations becoming School Assessments, National Examinations becoming minimum competency assessments and character surveys, Making lesson plans that are effective, efficient and oriented towards student learning and accepting new zoned students.

Analysis of the Problems of Implementing the Independent Curriculum in Elementary Schools
Study Roehrig et al., (2023) explain that resultThe Concept of the Independent Learning Curriculum.The Ministry of Education and Culture of the Republic of Indonesia created a new policy, namely changing the 2013 curriculum to an independent curriculum.The concept of freedom to learn is in accordance with the name "merdeka" which means freedom.This curriculum is created so that students can choose and explore their interests and talents, so that students enjoy learning and are not forced to do so.The learning system in this curriculum will also change, previously learning was carried out in the classroom, changing to outside the classroom (outing class).This will make students more comfortable studying because students can discuss with the teacher freely.This outing class learning can form an independent character, brave, smart in socializing, polite, courteous and this learning does not only rely on rankings, because this system will only disturb parents and their children.In fact, children have different intelligence and talents according to their field.The reason Nadiem Makarim created the concept of independent learning was because he wanted a happy learning atmosphere for students without having to feel burdened by studying and achieving certain grades.In (Horwitz et al., 2008) there are 4 main policies of the Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture listed in the presentation of the Indonesian Minister of Education and Culture on December 11 2019, including: 1.The National Examination (UN) was abolished and replaced by the Minimum Competency Assessment and Character Survey.The assessments focused in this curriculum are numerical and literacy based on PISA test best practices.This assessment is carried out for students entering grades 4, 8 and 11.The results of the assessment will be input for the school before students complete their education to improve the learning process.2. The National Standard School Examination (USBN) assessment form will be returned to the school, whether they wish to use written work, portfolios and so on.So schools are given freedom and flexibility in determining the form of assessment.

Discussion
The implementation of the Independent Curriculum Policy in facing the Society 5.0 era involves the integration of advanced technology and education focused on individual competencies and adaptation to future industry needs.This policy recognizes the importance of preparing students with relevant skills in this highly connected digital era.According to (Butler-Henderson et al., 2020;Umar et al., 2018;Wass & Golding, 2014), the Independent Curriculum emphasizes the development of both soft and hard skills that can support students in the Society 5.0 era, where AI and automation become an integral part of daily life.
Integrating technology into the curriculum helps students not only master the use of technology but also develop an understanding of how it works and its impact on society.As emphasized by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of Indonesia, this approach supports the creation of graduates who are not only ready to work but also ready to face dynamic and rapid changes (EUPHA-DH & Brito, 2021;Poncette et al., 2020).
Moreover, this policy also focuses on the development of critical thinking, creativity, and interpersonal skills, which are very important in team work and cross-cultural collaboration that often occur in the global context of Society 5.0.The implementation of a flexible and adaptive curriculum is expected to produce human resources that are not only technically competent but also capable of contributing ethically and innovatively to society (Dopheide et al., 2022).

CONCLUSION
Overall, it shows that the formation of the independent learning curriculum helps the government's positive policies which aim to help children living in disadvantaged, frontier and outermost areas to get equal education throughout Indonesia.In addition, the independent learning curriculum will change traditional classroom teaching strategies to emphasize learning outside the classroom.Learning outside the classroom will give students more opportunities to talk to teachers.The character of students will be formed by studying outside the classroom, both the courage to express opinions in conversation and the ability to and become competent learners, so that each of these factors will further shape the student's personality..Adaptations to the Independent Curriculum must also be adjusted to the conditions and characteristics of each school, so that it can maximize existing potential.In this case, schools must be able to identify the needs and challenges faced, and develop appropriate strategies to overcome them.In this way, it is hoped that the learning process at school can run well and produce quality output.The shortcomings of the Merdeka Curriculum include: In terms of implementation, the Merdeka Curriculum is still less mature, the designed education and teaching system has not been well realized, and there is a lack of human resources (HR), as well as an unstructured system.In its implementation, the Merdeka curriculum must also be adapted to the conditions and characteristics of each school, so that it can maximize existing potential.In this case, schools must be able to identify the needs and challenges faced, and develop appropriate strategies to overcome them.Thus, it is hoped that the learning process in schools can run well and produce quality output.Currently, only a few schools have facilities to support the implementation of the independent curriculum, especially state schools.
Data source: IKM Dashboard 5 June 2022 Figure 1.Number of Registrants IKM (Implementation of Merdeka Curriculum) independently at the high school, vocational and special school levels in 2022

Table 1 Curriculum Development in the Political and Legal Period
3. The Learning Implementation Plan (RPP) is more simplified.Nadiem Makarim said that teachers only need to make a one-page lesson plan.With this policy, teachers are expected to be able to divert their time to increasing competence and learning activities.4. The zoning system in PPDB (admission of new students) has been expanded, including the 3T area.Students who enroll in the merit and affirmation pathways have more opportunities.Regional governments have the right to decide on zoning areas for applicants.Minister of Education and Culture Nadiem Makarim changed the curriculum policy not without reason.He saw the results of Adaara's research, Vol.11, No. 2, August 2021 179 PISA, 2019 which shows that in the field of literacy and mathematics, out of 79 countries, Indonesia is ranked 74th.Nadiem made an assessment of minimum abilities, including numeracy, literacy and character survey.Literacy assesses the ability to analyze reading content by understanding concepts, don't just measure reading ability.And for numeracy, the assessment is applying numerical concepts to real life, so it's not just about studying mathematics.