Publication Search

The Merdeka Curriculum represents Indonesia’s national education reform aimed at transforming learning paradigms toward a more contextual, flexible, and student-centered approach aligned with the Pancasila Student Profile. One of its key priorities is fostering critical thinking competence from the elementary level. This article aims to critically analyze the implementation of the Merdeka Curriculum in developing students’ critical thinking skills in Indonesian elementary schools. Employing a conceptual and literature-based approach, this study examines educational policies, theories of critical thinking, and recent research findings (2020–2025). The analysis reveals that the Merdeka Curriculum holds strong potential to enhance critical thinking through differentiated learning, project-based learning, authentic assessment, and the Pancasila Student Profile projects. Nevertheless, its implementation still encounters challenges, particularly regarding teacher competence, infrastructure readiness, and non-reflective learning culture. Therefore, strengthening teacher capacity, reforming assessment systems, and cultivating critical thinking as a school-wide culture are essential to realizing the goals of the Merdeka Curriculum effectively at the elementary education level.

This community service was carried out at SMAS PGRI 1 Mojokerto City with the main goal of improving student discipline through the application of Japanese-style discipline culture. This activity is designed in a structured manner to have a real and sustainable impact on student behavior and the integrity of educational institutions. The method used is a participatory and applicative approach, so that students not only passively receive information, but also actively engage in the process of learning, reflection, and discipline practice. This approach emphasizes the direct involvement of students in activities that foster awareness, responsibility, and positive habits that support the creation of a conducive learning environment. The results of the implementation of activities are divided into three main categories. First, the short-term results seen immediately after the activity are increased students' motivation and understanding of the importance of discipline. Second, the medium-term results that appear within 1-3 months are in the form of real behavioral changes, such as punctuality, neatness, and compliance with school rules. Third, long-term results that contribute to strengthening the integrity of the institution as a school with a high discipline image. Thus, this community service is expected to be able to become a model for implementing a discipline culture that is effective, sustainable, and relevant to the needs of education in Indonesia.

This research examines the application of the Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm (ECDSA) in a blockchain system as a security solution for digital payment systems in Indonesia. Using a descriptive-qualitative approach based on literature review and conceptual simulations using Python, this study discusses the working principles of ECDSA, its advantages over other digital signature algorithms, and the challenges of its adoption in Indonesia. The results show that ECDSA provides high cryptographic efficiency, maintains transaction authenticity and integrity, and supports a transparent decentralized system. The academic simulations include not only KYC processes, top-ups, transactions, validation by validators, and block recording, but also demonstrates the formation of an interconnected multi-level blockchain and tests scenarios for rejecting manipulated or invalid transactions. The contribution of this research lies not only in the theoretical review but also in the implementation illustrations that can be used as a basis for education and the initial development of blockchain-based digital payment systems. The research results show that ECDSA is capable of providing a high level of efficiency in the encryption and transaction verification process, maintaining data integrity and authenticity, and supporting a decentralized and transparent system. The academic simulations included the KYC process, wallet creation using ECDSA keys, balance top-ups through bank integration, transaction creation and validation, and block recording in the blockchain. Specifically, the simulations successfully demonstrated how new blocks are added to the chain by referencing the previous block's hash, as well as how transactions with corrupted signatures, manipulated amounts, or insufficient balances are automatically rejected by the validator consensus mechanism, maintaining system integrity. This research contributes not only theoretically, but also through conceptual representations that can be used as an educational foundation and for the initial development of blockchain-based digital payment systems in Indonesia.