Deep Learning Policy and Character Education in Indonesian Madrasah: A Critical Policy Analysis

Abstract

Indonesian basic and secondary education entered a new policy phase when the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education introduced the deep learning (pembelajaran mendalam) approach for the 2025/2026 academic year, accompanied by a revised process standard, while madrasah continue to operate under a parallel curricular regime administered by the Ministry of Religious Affairs. This article aims to analyse how the deep learning policy reconstructs the meaning of character education, to identify the regulatory and institutional conditions that govern its implementation in madrasah, and to assess the coherence of the two administrative regimes that jointly shape madrasah practice. The study employs qualitative document analysis of primary regulatory texts, read through implementation theory and the learning-approach literature, with content analysis conducted along three dimensions of policy design, namely goal clarity, institutional capacity, and the discretion of frontline educators. The results show that the policy shifts character formation from a programmatic add-on toward an outcome of instructional design, that the three pillars of mindful, meaningful, and joyful learning are pedagogically coherent but operationally underspecified, and that implementation risk in madrasah concentrates in three areas: dual regulatory reference, uneven teacher capability in designing deep tasks, and assessment instruments that continue to reward reproduction. It is recommended that ministerial coordination on curricular equivalence be formalised, that professional development be reoriented from document compliance toward task design, and that character outcomes be assessed through observable performance rather than administrative reporting.