Search Repository UNIVERSITAS MH.THAMRIN

Nadiem Makarim, the Minister of Education and Culture, released "Merdeka Belajar"
(Freedom to Learn) as his revolutionary program by the end of 2019. It aims to make significant changes
in the world of education. The current study aims to demonstrate the understanding of primary school
teachers' understanding of the concept and implementation of Merdeka Belajar during Covid-19. Data
were obtained through surveys via Google-Forms and in-depth interviews via WhatsApp with twenty
primary school teachers at private and public schools around DKI Jakarta, Bogor, and Banten. In
contrast, secondary data is obtained from previous research and online news directly related to this
study. They were analyzed through restatement, description, and interpretation stages. The investigation
resulted that the teachers having conceptually understood the program of Merdeka Belajar well. They
agreed and accepted the program to reform and improve the education quality and the changes of times.
The problem lies in the practical implementation due to the limited number of teacher movers in every
school unit as creators, innovators, and role models for the other teachers. Besides, the lack of
supporting infrastructure for online learning and the teachers' mastery of technology also hinder the
program's success. Finally, this study recommended the need to socialize with the community, hold
more teacher training, increase the number and distribution of teacher movers, and improve teachers'
skills in using information and communication technology in the learning process.