Improving Teachers and School Leadership in Indonesia: Impact Evaluation of Guru Penggerak Program at the Primary Level

The most significant recent education reform in Indonesia is Merdeka Belajar, officially translated as emancipated learning, which aims to transform the education system into having a more student-centered approach and promote lifelong learning. The reform places a great emphasis on teacher competence, independence, freedom, and ability to teach based on student’s needs, and aims to delegate more autonomy to teachers and schools for enhanced student-centered learning. The program includes many components, one of which is teacher training. The World Bank is supporting the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology (MoECRT) in its ongoing education reform effort. As part of this support, and after comprehensive discussions and careful deliberation, it was agreed that the World Bank would conduct an evaluation study specifically for the Guru Penggerak program given its importance for improving education quality in Indonesia.