The Struggle Against COVID-19 in Indonesian Education : Responses, Requirements, and Policy Needs for Learning Recovery

This report reflects on the Indonesian school system's response to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, assesses the influences of these policies on children in Indonesia, and discusses lessons learned. It further synthesizes these lessons into policy recommendations that might guide the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology (MoECRT) to recover and to strengthen the system. For over a year, the Government of Indonesia (GoI) has responded to the evolving situation promptly, with policy guidance and other support efforts, to keep 60 million children engaged in learning. While these efforts are lauded, the experiences of students, teachers, and parents shared here reflect the challenges that the pandemic, and consequent Learning from Home (LFH) have presented. By reviewing the experiences of students, teachers, and parents identified through research studies conducted during 2020, the report proposes four broad policy areas that need attention; i) Refocusing effort on learning, ii) Supporting learning recovery, iii) Providing training, support, and guidance to teachers, parents, and school principals, and iv) Strengthening relations between schools and their communities