Policy Analysis of Merdeka Curriculum: Readiness to Fulfill Industry Needs

The Covid-19 pandemic in Indonesia has led to a shift towards blended learning, combining distance and face-to-face methods. In dealing with these conditions, the Indonesian government implemented an education policy, namely the emergency curriculum followed by a Merdeka curriculum policy. This study aims to explore schools’ readiness to implement the Merdeka curriculum using literature study and observation methods. Data were analyzed descriptively on aspects of curriculum preparation and current industry competency needs, including curriculum structure, learning outcomes, learning and assessment, teaching tools, and teacher linearity. The results of the research show that teachers experience several obstacles in preparing learning for industry needs. Thus, it is recommended that schools consider field conditions and implementation experiences from other vocational high schools and it is expected that students will acquire knowledge and skills relevant to the Industrial era, that they are ready to compete globally.