Educational Autonomy and Islamic Education in Indonesia: Opportunities, Challenges, and Implications for Educational Quality
Abstract
Educational autonomy in Indonesia constitutes a strategic milestone in post-1998 educational reform, marked by a transition from a centralized to a decentralized system. This policy reflects the government’s commitment to promoting independence, participation, and accountability in educational governance at both regional and institutional levels. This study aims to examine the concept and implementation of educational autonomy while identifying the opportunities and challenges faced by Islamic educational institutions. Employing a qualitative-descriptive approach through library research, the study draws on regulatory and scholarly sources, including legislation, ministerial regulations, and recent academic literature. The findings reveal that educational autonomy provides substantial opportunities for Islamic educational institutions to foster curriculum innovation, strengthen community-based governance, and enhance educational quality in alignment with Islamic values. However, its implementation encounters significant challenges, including regional disparities in capacity, limited human resources, and weak coordination between local governments and the Ministry of Religious Affairs. The study concludes that the effectiveness of educational autonomy depends on stakeholder collaboration and institutional readiness to implement autonomy principles in a sustainable manner. This study contributes a policy-oriented framework that positions Islamic educational institutions as active actors in decentralized educational governance.
References
Arar, Khalid, Rania Sawalhi, dan Munube Yilmaz. “The Research on Islamic-Based Educational Leadership since 1990: An International Review of Empirical Evidence and a Future Research Agenda.” Religions 13, no. 1 (2022): 42. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13010042
Badan Akreditasi Nasional Sekolah/Madrasah. Panduan Sistem Penjaminan Mutu Pendidikan. Jakarta: BAN-S/M, 2023. google.
Bandur, Agustinus, Mohammad Hamsal, dan Asnan Furinto. “21st Century Experiences in the Development of School-Based Management Policy and Practices in Indonesia.” Educational Research for Policy and Practice 21, no. 1 (2022): 85–107. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10671-021-09293-x
Barton, Greg, Ihsan Yilmaz, dan Nicholas Morieson. “Authoritarianism, Democracy, Islamic Movements and Contestations of Islamic Religious Ideas in Indonesia.” Religions 12, no. 8 (2021): 641. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel12080641
Bjork, Christopher. “Local Responses to Decentralization Policy in Indonesia.” Comparative Education Review 47, no. 2 (2003): 184–216. https://doi.org/10.1086/738769
Brooks, M. C., J. S. Brooks, A. Mutohar, dan I. Taufiq. “Principals as Socio-Religious Curators: Progressive and Conservative Approaches in Islamic Schools.” Journal of Educational Administration 58, no. 6 (2020): 677–695. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEA-01-2020-0004
Chotimah, C., S. Z. Qudsy, dan M. Yusuf. “Superficial Implementation of Religious Moderation in Islamic Educational Management.” Cogent Education 12, no. 1 (2025): 2442235. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2024.2442235
Creswell, John W. Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design: Choosing Among Five Approaches. Los Angeles: SAGE Publications, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1177/1524839915580941
Creswell, John W. Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research. Boston: Pearson, 2021. google.
Fossati, Diego. “When Conservatives Support Decentralization: The Case of Political Islam in Indonesia.” Regional & Federal Studies 33, no. 2 (2023): 209–233. https://doi.org/10.1080/13597566.2021.1951252
Hasan, Kamaruddin, dan Hamdan Juhannis. “Religious Education and Moderation: A Bibliometric Analysis.” Cogent Education 11, no. 1 (2024): 2292885. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2023.2292885
Ikhrom, I., I. Abdullah, R. Kafipour, Z. Mubaraq, dan A. Sutiyono. “Intolerance in Islamic Textbooks: The Quest for an Islamic Teaching Model for Indonesian Schools.” Cogent Education 10, no. 2 (2023): 2268454. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2023.2268454
Indra, Rona, Mahyudin Ritonga, Martin Kustati, dkk. “High School Education in a Variety of Regional Autonomy: Paradigm and Challenges.” Education Research International 2022 (2022): 9887162. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/9887162
Kementerian Agama Republik Indonesia. Madrasah Reform Strategic Plan 2020–2024. Jakarta: Direktorat Jenderal Pendidikan Islam, 2021. google
Kementerian Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan Republik Indonesia. Panduan Penyusunan Kurikulum Operasional Satuan Pendidikan. Jakarta: Kemendikbud, 2022. google.
Kosim, Mohammad, Faqihul Muqoddam, Faidol Mubarok, dan Nur Quma Laila. “The Dynamics of Islamic Education Policies in Indonesia.” Cogent Education 10, no. 1 (2023): 2172930. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2023.2172930
Lestari, Nur. “Digital Literacy and Moral Education in Madrasah Curriculum.” Journal of Islamic Educational Studies 7, no. 2 (2023). https://doi.org/10.59784/jtlm.v1i1.2
Maemonah, M., H. Zuhri, Masturin, dkk. “Contestation of Islamic Educational Institutions in Indonesia: Content Analysis on Social Media.” Cogent Education 10, no. 1 (2023): 2164019. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2022.2164019
Mukhibat, M., M. Effendi, W. H. Setyawan, dan M. Sutoyo. “Development and Evaluation of Religious Moderation Education Curriculum at Higher Education in Indonesia.” Cogent Education 11, no. 1 (2024): 2302308. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2024.2302308
Mulyasa, E. Menjadi Kepala Sekolah Profesional. Bandung: Remaja Rosdakarya, 2021. google.
Mulyasa, E. Manajemen Berbasis Sekolah: Konsep, Strategi, dan Implementasi. Bandung: Remaja Rosdakarya, 2022. google.
Nata, Abuddin. Manajemen Pendidikan Islam: Mengatasi Kelemahan Pendidikan Islam di Indonesia. Jakarta: Kencana, 2020. google
Nata, Abuddin. Kebijakan Pendidikan Islam dan Pendidikan Umum di Indonesia. Depok: Rajawali Pers, 2021. google.
OECD. Education Policy Outlook: Indonesia. Paris: OECD Publishing, 2022. google.
Parker, Lyn, dan R. Raihani. “Democratizing Indonesia through Education? Community Participation in Islamic Schooling.” Educational Management Administration & Leadership 39, no. 6 (2011): 712–732. https://doi.org/10.1177/1741143211416389
Rahim, Ahmad. “Islamic Boarding School Autonomy and Educational Modernization.” Tarbawi: Journal of Islamic Education Policy 11, no. 1 (2024).
Rahman, Yusuf. Educational Governance and Decentralization: A Comparative Perspective. Jakarta: Prenadamedia, 2024. https://www.jstor.org/stable/1164476
Raihani. “Education for Multicultural Citizens in Indonesia: Policies and Practices.” Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education 48, no. 6 (2018): 992–1009. https://doi.org/10.1080/03057925.2017.1399250
Rohman, A., A. Isna, M. M. Taruna, dkk. “Challenges in Islamic Education Curriculum Development: A Comparative Study of Indonesia, Pakistan, and India.” International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research 23, no. 6 (2024): 1–20. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.23.6.23
Rondinelli, Dennis A., James S. McCullough, dan Ronald W. Johnson. “Analyzing Decentralization Policies in Developing Countries: A Political-Economy Framework.” Development and Change 20, no. 1 (1989): 57–87. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-7660.1989.tb00340.x
Suyatno, dan Rahmawati. “Quality Culture in Islamic Educational Institutions.” Journal of Islamic Education Management 10, no. 2 (2023). https://doi.org/10.38073/jimpi.v4i1.1928
Suyatno, Wantini, Sukiman, dan Y. Rachmawati. “Progressive Islamic Education: Bridging the Gap of Islam, Indonesianness, and Modernity.” The Qualitative Report 27, no. 3 (2022): 682–699. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2022.4782
Wiyono, Bambang Budi. “The Effect of Self-Evaluation on the Principals’ Transformational Leadership, Teachers’ Work Motivation, Teamwork Effectiveness, and School Improvement.” International Journal of Leadership in Education 21, no. 6 (2018): 705–725. https://doi.org/10.1080/13603124.2017.1318960
Peraturan Pemerintah Nomor 55 Tahun 2007 tentang Pendidikan Agama dan Pendidikan Keagamaan. google.
Undang-Undang Republik Indonesia Nomor 18 Tahun 2019 tentang Pesantren. google.
Undang-Undang Republik Indonesia Nomor 20 Tahun 2003 tentang Sistem Pendidikan Nasional. google
Undang-Undang Republik Indonesia Nomor 23 Tahun 2014 tentang Pemerintahan Daerah. google.
Copyright (c) 2026 Via Novelia Najmi
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
