Examining the Probability of the Government of Indonesia (GoI) Adopting Finland’s Primary School Education System

This article explores Indonesia’s probabilities to model its primary school education system after Finland’s highly regarded education system. To determine the probabilities, we begin by critically examining the political economy and theories of shifting balances, questioning whether these theories can facilitate Indonesia’s transformation toward a system comparable to Finland’s. After analyzing Finland’s education system, the authors present four key arguments: central control, bureaucratic consent, emphasis on teachers’ moral integrity, and implementation of coaching systems. These arguments suggest potential benefits if Indonesia shifts from its current educational paradigm to one modeled on Finland’s, including improved regional empowerment, educational performance, adaptive structuring, flexibility, innovation diffusion, and moral integrity among teachers. However, the feasibility of adopting Finland’s system ultimately depends on Indonesia’s commitment to these reforms.