Management of Equivalency Education in Reducing School Dropout Rates: The Roles of SKB and PKBM in Mataram City
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
School dropout remains a significant sociological and economic challenge to achieving educational equity in Indonesia, particularly amid the policy direction toward expanding 13 Years of Compulsory Education. This challenge is evident in Mataram City, where 1,364 children have never attended school, comprising 329 children aged 7–12 years, 333 aged 13–15 years, and 702 aged 15 years and above. In addition, approximately 856 children have dropped out of school, while 1,676 graduates have not continued their education. This study aims to analyze the management of community-based equivalency education organized by Learning Activity Centers (SKB) and Community Learning Activity Centers (PKBM) as a strategy for mitigating school dropout. A qualitative approach with a case study design was employed, with data collected through in-depth interviews, direct observations, and documentation studies. The findings indicate that flexible and community-oriented management practices implemented by SKB and PKBM provide an alternative pathway for reconnecting out-of-school children with the education system. Outreach strategies, functional and contextual curricula, flexible learning arrangements, and the integration of vocational skills contribute to making equivalency education more accessible and relevant to learners’ social and economic circumstances. Nevertheless, the implementation of these programs continues to face structural and social barriers, including limited operational budgets, unequal access to educational services, inadequate resources, and persistent negative stigma toward non-formal education. These findings demonstrate that dropout mitigation requires more than educational access; it demands responsive institutional management and sustained collaboration among educational providers, communities, and local governments. Strengthening regulations and partnership mechanisms between local governments and non-formal education institutions is therefore essential to optimize the contribution of SKB and PKBM toward achieving inclusive and equitable 13 Years of Compulsory Education.
Article Details
The Authors submitting a manuscript do so on the understanding that if accepted for publication, copyright of the article shall be assigned to International Journal of Nusantara Islam, Sunan Gunung Djati State Islamic University.
The copyright encompasses exclusive rights to reproduce and disseminate articles in all forms and media, including reprints, photographs, microfilm, and similar reproductions, as well as translations. Some or all of the contents of this journal can be stored in databases and transmitted in any form and media without the need for written permission from the International Journal of Nusantara Islam, Sunan Gunung Djati State Islamic University.
The Editors and the Advisory International Editorial Board make every effort to ensure that no wrong or misleading data, opinions or statements be published in the journal. In any way, the contents of the articles and advertisements published in the International Journal of Nusantara Islam (IJNI) are sole and exclusive responsibility of their respective authors and advertisers.
References
Ali, A., Bektiarso, S., Walukow, A. F., & Narulita, E. (2024). Building Inclusive Learning Communities in Multicultural Classrooms: The Role of the CTL Model in Learning Interpersonal Skills. Tafkir: Interdisciplinary Journal of Islamic Education, 5(4), 568–583. https://doi.org/10.31538/tijie.v5i4.1172
Berghe, L. Van Den, Naert, J., Vandevelde, S., & Pauw, S. S. W. De. (2024). Supporting second chance education: Drop‐in students’ views on educational barriers and needs to study. European Journal of Education, 59(2). https://doi.org/10.1111/ejed.12644
Creswell, J. W. (2014). Educational research: Planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative. Pustaka Pelajar Yoigyakarta.
Creswell, J. W. (2016). Research design: Pendekatan kualitatif, kuantitatif, dan mixed [Research design: qualitative, quantitative, and mixed approaches]. Pustaka Pelajar.
Dadang, D. Y. L., Irnawati, H., Shantini, Y., Hatimah, I., & Khan, A. (2026). Governance of Community Learning Centers in Indonesia: A Systematic Literature Review. Journal of Nonformal Education, 12(1), 124–134. https://doi.org/10.15294/jone.v12i1.41504
Diana, D. (2026). Environment-Based Constructivism Learning to Increase Elementary School Students’ Awareness of Social Change. Jurnal Pendidikan Humaniora, 14(2), 193–202. https://doi.org/10.17977/2442-3890.1406
Dinh, H.-V. T., & Thi, Q. A. (2023). European Journal of Educational Research. European Journal of Educational Research Volume, 12(1), 551–565. https://doi.org/10.12973/eu-jer
ElSayad, G. (2024). Higher education students’ learning perception in the blended learning community of inquiry. Journal of Computers in Education, 11(4), 1061–1088. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40692-023-00290-y
Gubbels, J., van der Put, C. E., & Assink, M. (2019). Risk Factors for School Absenteeism and Dropout: A Meta-Analytic Review. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 48(9), 1637–1667. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-019-01072-5
Haifa, N., Sudiapermana, E., Kamarubiani, N., Sodikin, S., & Sukmana, C. (2025). Implementation of deep learning approach in equivalency education at PKBM Al Insan. Curricula: Journal of Curriculum Development, 4(2), 1241–1256. https://doi.org/10.17509/curricula.v4i2.88482
Hudson, C. (2024). A Conceptual Framework for Understanding Effective Professional Learning Community (PLC) Operation in Schools. Journal of Education, 204(3), 649–659. https://doi.org/10.1177/00220574231197364
Huijboom, F., van Meeuwen, P., Rusman, E., & Vermeulen, M. (2023). Differences and similarities in the development of Professional Learning Communities: A cross-case longitudinal study. Learning, Culture and Social Interaction, 42(July), 100740. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lcsi.2023.100740
Huisman, J., & Smits, J. (2015). Keeping Children in School. Sage Open, 5(4). https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244015609666
Huntington, B., Pitchford, N., & Goulding, J. (2023). Education for out-of-school children: Unpacking driving factors of vulnerability via digital-learning footprint data in East Africa. International Journal of Population Data Science, 8(3). https://doi.org/10.23889/ijpds.v8i3.2293
Inui, M., Ogisu, T., Kamogawa, A., & Nakaya, A. (2025). Out-of-school children in Southeast Asia: a case study of Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, and Malaysia. Cogent Education, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2025.2481004
Jayanti, G. D., Setiawan, F., Azhari, R., & Putri Siregar, N. (2021). Analisis Kebijakan Peta Jalan Pendidikan Nasional 2020-2035 [Policy Analysis of the National Education Roadmap 2020–2035]. Jurnal Pendidikan Dasar Dan Keguruan, 6(1), 40–48. https://doi.org/10.47435/jpdk.v6i1.618 [In Indonesian]
Kementerian Pendidikan Dasar dan Menengah Republik Indonesia. (2026). 8 Program Prioritas: Upaya Wujudkan Pendidikan Bermutu untuk Semua [8 Priority Programs: Efforts to Realize Quality Education for All]. BPMP Provinsi NTB.
Lewin, K. M. (2009). Access to education in sub‐Saharan Africa: patterns, problems and possibilities. Comparative Education, 45(2), 151–174. https://doi.org/10.1080/03050060902920518
Miles, M. B., Huberman, A. M., & Saldaña, J. (2019). Qualitative Data Analysis: A Methods Sourcebook. Sage Publications.
Mustari, M., Zubair, M., Kurniawansyah, E., & Sumardi, L. (2024). Analysis of the Implementation of Adaptive School-Based Management in the Independent Curriculum in West Lombok High Schools. Jurnal Kependidikan: Jurnal Hasil Penelitian Dan Kajian Kepustakaan Di Bidang Pendidikan, Pengajaran Dan Pembelajaran, 10(1), 195. https://doi.org/10.33394/jk.v10i1.10819
Muttaqin, T., Wittek, R., Heyse, L., & Van Duijn, M. (2017). Why Do Children Stay Out Of School In Indonesia? Jurnal Perencanaan Pembangunan: The Indonesian Journal of Development Planning, 1(2). https://doi.org/10.36574/jpp.v1i2.12
Novrita, J., Elizarni, Oktavia, R., & Sari, T. Y. (2025). Making ‘Taman Baca’ Sustainable”, lessons learned from community-based non-formal education in Aceh, Indonesia. International Journal of Educational Development, 113, 103186. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2024.103186
PERPRES. (2026). Pencegahan dan Penanganan Anak Tidak Sekolah [Prevention and Handling of Out-of-School Children]. Sekretaris Negara RI.
Pratiwi, S. A., & Samudro, B. (2025). Enhancing educational access through non-formal equivalency education: a study at a community learning center in indonesia. Journal Education For All, 14(2), 90–99. https://doi.org/10.24114/4ph8e429
Rogers, A. (2019). Second-generation non-formal education and the sustainable development goals: operationalising the SDGs through community learning centres. International Journal of Lifelong Education, 38(5), 515–526. https://doi.org/10.1080/02601370.2019.1636893
Smith, W. C. (2025). Out of school children and child protection: Understanding and improving the quality of data on out of school children. Child Protection and Practice, 4, 100103. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chipro.2025.100103
Sucipto, Wiyono, B. B., Rasyad, A., Dayati, U., & Purwito, L. (2021). The Contribution of Individual Characteristics of Managers to the Success of Equivalency Education Programs of the Community Learning Center in Indonesia. Sustainability, 13(19), 11001. https://doi.org/10.3390/su131911001
Sugiyono. (2019). Metode Penelitian Kuantitatif, Kualitatif, dan R&D [Quantitative, Qualitative, and R&D Research Methods]. Alphabet.
Sumardi, L., Sawaludin, Mustari, M., Sialana, F., Simaremare, T. P., & Saputri, A. (2026). The effect of culturally-integrated TEE model teaching materials on secondary school students’ critical thinking skills and cultural literacy competence. Frontiers in Education, 10(January), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2025.1720212
Toikka, T., & Tarnanen, M. (2024). A shared vision for a school: developing a learning community. Educational Research, 66(3), 295–311. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131881.2024.2361412
Wirandana, P. A., & Khoirunurrofik, K. (2024). Educational inequality in Indonesia: are intergovernmental fiscal transfers effective in reducing the gap? Educational Studies, 50(6), 1424–1443. https://doi.org/10.1080/03055698.2022.2103647
Witte, K. De, & Rogge, N. (2013). Dropout from Secondary Education: all’s well that begins well. European Journal of Education, 48(1), 131–149. https://doi.org/10.1111/ejed.12001
Zamiri, M., & Esmaeili, A. (2024). Strategies, Methods, and Supports for Developing Skills within Learning Communities: A Systematic Review of the Literature. Administrative Sciences, 14(9), 231. https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci14090231