A critical analysis of sustainability education in Indonesia’s Merdeka curriculum: how deliberate omission fuels performative pedagogy

Education is central to addressing sustainability challenges, with curricula forming the foundation for national responses. This study examined how sustainability education (SE), a topic that is underexplored outside the Global North and higher education, is positioned in Indonesia’s current Merdeka Curriculum at the secondary level. Qualitative content analysis and interviews with curriculum developers demonstrated that SE was not explicitly articulated due to deliberate omissions intended to reduce teacher resistance, creating conceptual ambiguity. This ambiguity confines SE largely to environmental education. Interviews indicated three priority areas: climate change, financial literacy, and physical hygiene and health. An analysis of these themes and textbook contents demonstrated only shallow engagement with SE, further reinforced by performative, output-oriented activities. While these initiatives addressed awareness and global concerns, they narrowed SE’s scope and limited its transformative potential. Without explicit articulation and critical pedagogy, the curriculum risks perpetuating shallow sustainability discourses rather than fostering meaningful action.