The Role of Bureaucracy in the Implementation of Education Policy: A Critical Study of the Placement of Contract-Based Government Employees (P3K) and "Guru Penggerak" (Mobilizing Teachers) as School Principals

Abstract

Education is one of the main efforts made to improve national development which plays an important role in creating quality and highly competitive human resources. The Indonesian government has established various education policies to improve the quality, equity, and access to education, especially the policies regarding PPPK and Leading Teachers which are currently being widely discussed. The purpose of writing this article is to understand more deeply how the bureaucracy contributes to the implementation of education policies and to find solutions to the various obstacles faced, especially the policies regarding PPPK and Leading Teachers. This article applies a qualitative approach, namely library research. implementation of the policy of appointing school principals through the Leading Teacher and Government Employees with Work Agreement (P3K) channels in the context of the education bureaucracy in Indonesia. Although normatively the policy has been well formulated by the central government, its implementation at the regional level still faces various obstacles, including the lack of synchronization between the central and regional bureaucracies, weak coordination, and local political interference. A case study in Temanggung Regency shows that a proactive regional bureaucracy that is in line with central policies is able to implement policies effectively. In contrast, many other regions show implementation failure due to lack of administrative support, budget, and resistance to organizational culture. To improve this condition, it is necessary to strengthen the meritocratic system, increase the capacity of the apparatus, consistent supervision, and public involvement in the principal selection process. This finding shows that the success of the policy is largely determined by the performance of the bureaucracy at the implementing level.