Translating Nordic Educational Equity Into the Global South: Institutional Adaptation in Indonesia’s Sekolah Rakyat

Alam, Bahrul; Danugroho, Agus; Assalamah, Tuhfatul Mubarokah; Habib, Muhammad Alhada Fuadilah

Translating Nordic Educational Equity Into the Global South: Institutional Adaptation in Indonesia’s Sekolah Rakyat

James Alexander Gordon on 19th February 2026

Author Information

Bahrul Alam, Ministry of Social Affairs Republic of Indonesia, Indonesia
Agus Danugroho, Universitas Airlangga, Indonesia
Tuhfatul Mubarokah Assalamah, Universitas Airlangga, Indonesia
Muhammad Alhada Fuadilah Habib, Universitas Airlangga, Indonesia

Abstract

This study examines how principles of Nordic educational equity are translated and institutionally adapted within Indonesia’s Sekolah Rakyat initiative. Drawing on institutional theory and policy translation perspectives, the research employs qualitative documentary analysis of government policy documents, educational reports, and comparative education literature. The findings indicate that Sekolah Rakyat does not replicate the Nordic educational model directly. Instead, principles of equity are reinterpreted through a targeted inclusion strategy aimed at economically vulnerable populations. While Nordic systems pursue educational equity through universal welfare-state arrangements, Sekolah Rakyat integrates residential education, social protection, and poverty alleviation within a centralized governance framework. The study identifies this arrangement as a hybrid welfare-education model that combines global equity principles with local institutional realities. These findings contribute to comparative education scholarship by demonstrating that policy transfer involves institutional adaptation rather than simple policy borrowing. The Indonesian case illustrates how educational equity can be reconfigured to address poverty, exclusion, and social mobility in the Global South.