INOVASI 3 - Education Policy and Regulation Researcher

INOVASI 3 - Education Policy and Regulation Researcher

Indonesia req25672

Position: INOVASI 3 - Education Policy and Regulation Researcher Duration: 6 months, up to 90 days Location: Home-based, Indonesia with travel to other INOVASI areas as necessary This is a consultant position open to Indonesia nationals and permanent residents with authority to live and work in Indonesia.

Program Overview Indonesia’s Vision 2045 sets the goal for Indonesia to transition from a resource-based economy towards an advanced service, technology, and knowledge-based economy by the centenary of its independence (2045). The 2025-2045 National Long Term Development Plan emphasises the urgency of Indonesia’s human resource development to fully realise 2045 goals.

Faced however with persistent low student performance that is emblematic of a learning crisis, significant improvement in student learning will be required to reach Indonesia’s 2045 goals. Government of Indonesia (GoI) has started an ambitious program of education reforms. Successive education ministers have set out to modernise the education system through reforming the national curriculum and teaching and assessment approaches, to produce citizens with strong foundational skills, open minds, and inclusive values.

Australia is a long-term supporter of the Indonesian basic education sector, with continuous investments supporting education quality improvements for the past two decades, including through the INOVASI program (Phase 1 2016-2020; Phase 2 2020-2023) that focused on supporting acquisition of literacy and numeracy foundational skills in early grades classrooms; exploring local problems and solutions; and generating evidence to inform government policy development and practices.

This third phase of INOVASI (2024-2027) builds upon the existing program’s approach and lessons learned and takes the focus on the development of foundational skills through to the end of the primary grades. Phase 3 will engage with priority issues of Australia’s development policy: gender equality, effective inclusion of children with a disability, responses to the climate change challenge in education. It will focus on the challenge of policy implementation and the gaps that exist between national policies and practices at district and school levels and use the well attested-success of INOVASI’s local problem-based approach to continuously support policy development for effective fit between policy and implementation context.

INOVASI Phase 3 is implemented in 25 districts and cities across Indonesia, in the provinces of West Nusa Tenggara, East Nusa Tenggara, North Kalimantan, East Java, West Java, and Maluku. The program also works in Ibu Kota Nusantara (IKN).

The Program is managed by Palladium on behalf of the Government of Australia through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).

Purpose of Position INOVASI Phase 3 accelerates systemic education reform by supporting across policy cycle—co-designing with government partners, piloting contextual interventions, and conducting rigorous mixed-methods evaluations. This approach targets key priorities of the Government of Indonesia’s reform agenda: adaptive implementation of curriculum; student assessment, strengthening teacher and education personnel (GTK) competencies through practice-based professional development; advancing Deep Learning pedagogies that cultivate critical thinking, creativity, and real-world problem solving; strengthening Kurikulum Berbasis Cinta (KBC) of MoRA, mainstreaming Gender Equality, Disability, and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) across all education sectors; and strengthening prevention and response mechanisms for school-related gender-based violence and other forms of school violence, etc. These innovations are tested through collaborative pilots with local governments, schools, and communities. Evidence generated is systematically analysed and channelled into national and subnational policy dialogues to guide scaling, regulatory refinement, and effective implementation—ensuring reforms are grounded in local realities and deliver measurable improvements in learning and inclusion.

Therefore, an education policy and regulation researcher is needed to analyze implementation challenges, develop evidence-based recommendations, and provide technical assistance to relevant ministries. This role is critical to ensure that inclusive education policies are not merely theoretical but are effectively implemented on the ground, leading to a fair and inclusive education system for all.

Under the direction of the Policy Advisers, the Educational Policy and Regulatory Researchers will play a critical role in providing technical assistance to the Bappenas, MoPSE, and MoRA in developing education policies. The consultant will support the Bappenas, MoPSE and MoRA team by conducting desk reviews, performing data analysis, and drafting policy brief documents. Additionally, he/she will assist in formulating recommendations, collating feedback, and addressing counterparts' input during the policy development. He/she will also evaluate existing policies, identify gaps, and propose evidence-based solutions to strengthen the overall framework of education systems.

Key Topics to be Supported

Education

• Policy and Regulation Researchers: Integration of Climate Change Education, including conducting alignment analysis on textbooks and learning materials regarding climate change issues and environmental sustainability.
• Bridging the Policy–Implementation Gap, analyzing challenges in translating national policies into effective district- and school-level practices.
• Deep Learning Pedagogies to foster critical thinking, creativity, and real-world problem-solving skills.
• Implementation of Coding and Artificial Intelligence Learning, with focus on strengthening pilot in unplugged area
• Inclusive Education, with a focus on strengthening policies and practices for the inclusion of children with disabilities.
• Gender Equality and Prevention of School-Related Gender-Based Violence (SRGBV), including strengthening prevention and response mechanisms in schools.
• Mainstreaming Gender Equality, Disability, and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) across all education subsectors, including madrasahs.
• Teacher and Personnel (GTK) Competency Development through practice-based professional learning approaches.
• Student Assessment Reform, aligned with curriculum objectives and learning outcomes.
• Support the drafting of regulations related to education policy and government priorities, including reviewing existing regulations and incorporating evidence-based recommendations from policy research, and pilot programs
• Working with children

Responsibilities

Under the direction of Policy Adviser, the consultant will:

• Conduct in-depth analysis of existing education policies and regulations related to inclusive education, both domestically and internationally, to identify best practices and innovative approaches.
• Conduct comprehensive analysis and methodological evaluations to assess the alignment of textbooks and learning materials with climate change issues and green education principles.
• Collaborate closely with government ministries to conduct policy research, synthesize findings, and translate evidence into strategic policy briefs for high-level advocacy
• Draft policy briefs documents on lessons learned from pilot inclusive education and climate change integration implemented in schools and madrasah, including formulation of specific policy and program recommendations.
• Collaborate with experts, practitioners, researchers, and other relevant stakeholders to review draft implementation guidelines to ensure clarity, appropriateness, and readiness for field application.
• Analyse evaluation data on the implementation of government priorities program, specifically for MoRA and MoECRT, to assess effectiveness and inform improvements.
• Provide technical assistance and help refine INOVASI’s strategy on disability inclusion and climate change integration issues for effective advocacy and collaboration with relevant ministries and agencies.

Qualifications and Experience

• Education: A degree in a relevant field, complemented by relevant experience in supporting education policy research and analysis.
• A minimum of 5 years of recent and applicable experience working within Indonesia’s Education sector.
• Demonstrate a robust understanding and mastery of climate change issues, particularly within the education sector and sustainable development frameworks.
• Proven capability and practical experience in policy research and regulatory analysis.