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Abstract

This study critically deconstructs the Merdeka Curriculum policy documents to assess their conceptual alignment with contemporary pedagogical paradigms. While existing literature primarily focuses on field implementation, this research addresses the scarcity of critical policy analysis by examining the ideological discourses embedded within the curriculum. Employing a qualitative library research design through Critical Policy Analysis, the study conceptually juxtaposes official national regulatory documents against theories of critical pedagogy, social constructivism, and connectivism. The findings reveal a profound ideological compromise: the curriculum’s emancipatory rhetoric is heavily overshadowed by neoliberal and centralistic bureaucratic agendas. Complex pedagogical concepts, such as differentiated instruction and character education, are structurally reduced into rigid administrative checklists and quantitative rubrics. Consequently, the policy creates an illusion of decentralization, leading to the "app-ification" of education, the deskilling of teachers, and the emergence of an affective panopticon that triggers performative morality among students. The study concludes that genuine pedagogical transformation cannot occur within compliance-based surveillance frameworks. It implies an urgent need for policymakers to dismantle performative assessment metrics and restore the epistemological autonomy and professional dignity of educators as true curriculum co-creators.

Keywords

Merdeka Curriculum Critical Policy Analysis Contemporary Pedagogy Educational Bureaucracy Neoliberalism

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How to Cite
Dalimunthe, S. M., & Syahidin, A. (2026). Deconstructing the Merdeka Curriculum Policy: Assessing Its Relevance to Contemporary Pedagogical Paradigms. Al-Afkar: Jurnal Pemikiran Mahasiswa Pendidikan, 2(2), 86–103. https://doi.org/10.58363/alafkar.v2i2.1101
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