PENINGKATAN INDEKS PEMBANGUNAN MANUSIA MELALUI KEBIJAKAN PENDIDIKAN

Musi Rawas Utara Regency is categorized as an underdeveloped, frontier, and outermost (3T) region that still faces serious challenges in human development, particularly within the education dimension. Although the Human Development Index (HDI) indicates an upward trend, the School Enrollment Rate (SER) and the mean years of schooling at the secondary education level remain relatively low and lag behind other regions. This condition is influenced by limited access to secondary education, household economic vulnerability, and disparities in the quality and distribution of educators in remote areas. This policy paper aims to analyze secondary education issues as a primary obstacle to increasing the HDI of Musi Rawas Utara Regency and to formulate effective and sustainable policy alternatives. The method used is a qualitative descriptive analysis through a literature study, utilizing data from the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS), regional planning documents, as well as relevant national regulations and policies. The analysis was conducted using a SWOT approach to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of the regional education policy. The results of the study show that improving the HDI requires integrated, affirmative, and region-based education policies. Three main policy alternatives recommended include expanding and equalizing access to secondary education, strengthening educational assistance and social protection for vulnerable families, and sustainably distributing and improving teacher quality. The implementation of these policies is expected to increase the SER, extend the mean years of schooling, and strengthen the quality of human resources as a foundation for sustainable development in Musi Rawas Utara Regency.