POLICIES ON THE RECRUITMENT OF MADRASAH TEACHERS IN INDONESIA: EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE FROM RURAL AREAS
Keywords:
teacher shortage, teacher recruitment implementation, remote areaAbstract
The recruitment of madrasah teachers is a priority in response to teacher shortages—the most critical gap undermining educational performance, particularly in rural areas—which leads to inequalities in human resource allocation. Therefore, this study aims to examine the impact of teacher recruitment policies in madrasahs across Indonesia on the achievement of religious education, using the remote region of Sukabumi, West Java, as a case study. This study employs a qualitative method with a phenomenological approach to describe what occurs during the implementation of teacher recruitment policies in remote madrasahs. Data collection involves participant observation, interviews, and relevant documents. Data validation was conducted through clarification, description, and explanation. The analysis results indicate that the implemented program has not yet addressed the teacher shortage; several contributing factors include unclear program details and technical implementation, overlapping authority among implementing agencies (leading sectors), cultural and lifestyle mismatches for teachers in their new assignment areas, which drive these teachers to transfer, local governments—as the implementers of teacher recruitment—have not been able to carry out teacher recruitment in accordance with needs and have not implemented certain established regulations, as well as a lack of commitment among local officials in conducting evaluations. This research contributes to the revision of the teacher recruitment program to make it more effective through in-depth rethinking and careful governance to ensure that policy objectives are achieved.
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