Intercultural Bridge Pedagogy: evaluating Minangkabau culture-based character education in multicultural schools

Character education in multicultural schools requires integrating local cultural values without reinforcing identity-based exclusion. This qualitative case study evaluates the Minangkabau Culture-Based Character Education Program (PKBAM) at a pluralistic junior high school in West Sumatra, Indonesia. Data were collected through observations, document analysis, and interviews with education officials, school leaders, teachers, and students from diverse cultural backgrounds. The findings identify a strategy of Strategic Value Filtration, through which Minangkabau cultural values were reconstructed as universal ethical principles. Core concepts, including Sumbang Duo Baleh and Kato Nan Ampek, were successfully adapted into shared moral standards transcending ethnic and religious differences. However, language barriers and limited financial support constrained implementation. The study proposes Intercultural Bridge Pedagogy, positioning teachers as cultural translators who adapt local wisdom into inclusive educational practices, thereby promoting educational harmony and social cohesion in culturally diverse schools.