Perceptions of Christian Religious Education Teachers on Implementing the Merdeka Curriculum in Ambon High Schools

The implementation of the Merdeka Curriculum represents a major reform in Indonesian education, emphasizing flexible, student-centered learning to develop the Pancasila Student Profile. This study addresses the perceptions of PAK teachers regarding the challenges and opportunities of implementing the Merdeka Curriculum in Ambon’s high schools. Adopting a qualitative descriptive approach, data were gathered through interviews, observations, and document analysis with PAK teachers from three high schools. The findings reveal diverse perceptions: some teachers regard the curriculum as an opportunity to foster creativity and student participation, while others encounter obstacles such as limited resources, technological constraints, and difficulties in developing contextualized learning modules. Theoretically, this study expands curriculum reform discourse in religious education beyond Islamic contexts, demonstrating how Christian character-building can be integrated into national reforms. From a policy perspective, the results provide valuable insights for professional development and institutional support tailored to religious education teachers in pluralistic settings. Overall, this research underscores the importance of aligning national curriculum reforms with local religious education practices to achieve effective and equitable implementation.