Redesigning Education Data Management Policy: Shifting Focus from Administrative Compliance to Learning Quality

Abstract

This policy paper analyzes the systemic failure and the deconstruction of educational quality within Indonesian Islamic schools (madrasas), driven by the dominance of administrative formalism and bureaucratic hyper-regulation. The core issue centers on the shift in educational orientation from substantial student transformation to mere mechanical compliance with administrative checklists. Utilizing a qualitative approach through policy document analysis and literary synthesis, this article dissects various technical regulations that lead to the erosion of pedagogical agency and the emergence of pseudo-quality at the institutional level. The analytical framework is grounded in William N. Dunn’s policy analysis theory, emphasizing effectiveness, feasibility, adequacy, equality, responsiveness, and accuracy. The analysis reveals that excessive digital accountability pressures have created a compliance burden exceeding the operational capacity of Madrasas, thereby triggering administrative ritualism and a decoupling between formal structures and actual work realities. To address this crisis, several strategic alternatives are proposed, ranging from the integration of a single data system and the strengthening of professional autonomy through curriculum redesign to the provision of innovation-based grants for institutions demonstrating authentic quality achievements. A repositioning of the bureaucracy’s role from a repressive regulator to a facilitator supporting the intellectual freedom of educators is recommended. These steps are expected to restore the Madrasa's dignity as a center for character and intellectual development, capable of agilely responding to contemporary challenges without being constrained by rigid administrative procedures that are counterproductive to the essence of education itself.