Collaborative Governance in the Implementation of Education in Rokan Hilir Regency, Riau Province

The study aims to analyse collaborative governance in the implementation of education in Rokan Hilir Regency and subsequently design a model for collaborative governance in education in Rokan Hilir. This research uses a descriptive qualitative method, with primary data obtained through documentation studies, observation, and interviews with informants from the Rokan Hilir Regency Government, the Education Office, Education Supervisors, School Principals, the community, academics, and local media journalists. The data analysis technique uses descriptive analysis, which includes data collection, data condensation, data presentation, and drawing conclusions. The research results indicate: 1) Collaborative governance in the implementation of education in Rokan Hilir Regency has not been optimally implemented based on the following perspectives: a) Principled engagement; lack of involvement from other actors outside the government, such as academics and the media, differences in identifying key problems in education management among stakeholders, lack of inclusive dialogue involving all stakeholders, lack of joint decision-making, and a tendency to follow policies already set by the local and central governments; b) Shared motivation; lack of trust towards one of the parties, insufficient acceptance of the process and results of collaboration, and limited opportunities for direct dedication; c) Capacity for joint action; the absence of formal regulations as the foundation for collaborative governance in education, underutilization of digital technology as a communication channel, unequal distribution of knowledge, and limited human resources and budgets; 2) The researcher formulates a collaborative governance model for the implementation of education in Rokan Hilir Regency, namely the Hexa-Helix Collaborative governance Model for Education, developed from the model of Emerson et al. (2012), with an added novelty, which is the need for a hexa-helix approach in the actors or stakeholders involved in the collaboration by enhancing the role and capacity of religious figures, academics, and the media. This model is believed to improve the quality of education and can be applied in other regions with similar characteristics.