Critically Reviewing the “Independent Curriculum” in Ki Hadjar Dewantara’s Political Glasses of Education

Amid the current wave of educational policy reforms, the term “Merdeka Belajar” (Freedom to Learn) has become a dominant slogan in national discourse and educational practices. However, the critical question remains: does this spirit truly root itself in the philosophical values of Indonesian education, or is it merely a superficial adoption of globally popular educational models? To answer this, we must revisit the legacy of Ki Hadjar Dewantara’s educational philosophy—a visionary who understood that education cannot be separated from the missions of nationhood and humanity.

Born as Raden Mas Soewardi Soerjaningrat on May 2, 1889, his intellectual journey cannot be disentangled from his experience as a Javanese nobleman who transitioned into an anti-colonial activist and a people’s educator. He was exiled by the Dutch colonial government for his critical writings, such as “Als Ik Eens Nederlander Was” (If I Were a Dutchman), which condemned the injustices of colonial rule against the indigenous people.

Ironically, his exile in the Netherlands enriched Ki Hadjar Dewantara’s thinking, as he studied Western education systems, including the philosophies of Montessori, Fröbel, and Theosophy. However, he did not replicate Western education systems wholesale. Instead, he adapted them to Indonesia’s cultural and social context, in line with his philosophy of niteni (observing), nirokke (imitating), and nambahi (innovating). Upon returning from exile, Dewantara founded the Taman Siswa school in 1922, a political and cultural project aimed at liberating Indonesians from intellectual and cultural colonialism.

The philosophy of Taman Siswa rejected exclusivity in education, asserting that all members of society, regardless of social status, deserved access to liberating education (Dewantara, 1962). For him, education was a means to shape free individuals—capable of thinking, cultured, and determining their own destiny—free from ignorance, oppression, and all forms of colonialism. This concept transcended the instructional and administrative boundaries of modern education, where educators were not authoritarian instructors but pamongs (guides) who supported the child’s independence in discovering their potential and character.