Primary Education Reform in Indonesia and India: A Qualitative Comparative Analysis of Policy, Curriculum, Teacher Development, and Educational Equity

Abstract

Primary education reform remains a significant policy challenge because foundational learning, curriculum reform, teacher development, and educational equity are shaped differently across national contexts. This study comparatively examines primary education reform in Indonesia and India, focusing on policy reform, curriculum and foundational learning, teacher development, and educational equity. A comparative qualitative design was employed using qualitative document analysis of policy documents, international reports, and peer-reviewed studies selected through predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Within-case and cross-case thematic analyses were conducted across four interconnected dimensions: policy reform, curriculum and foundational learning, teacher development, and educational equity. The comparison identified areas of convergence in foundational learning, competency development, teacher professionalization, and inclusion, while showing that these priorities are institutionalized through different policy arrangements. However, important differences emerged in policy architecture. The analysis shows that Indonesia places strong emphasis on curriculum flexibilityand contextual adaptation, whereas India embeds foundational learning within broader structural, curricular, and multilingual reforms. The findings suggest that education reform is better understood as a process of context-specific policy translation rather than direct policy transfer. The study contributes to comparative education research by conceptualizing primary education reform as context-specific policy translation, showing how shared reform priorities are reinterpreted and institutionally enacted across Indonesia and India.