Abstract
The purpose of this study is to examine the development of education in Indonesia from the colonial era through the reform period, analyzed within the framework of legal foundations. The method employed in this article is library research, which serves to elaborate on the discussion of Indonesian education during the colonial period and the post-independence era up to the reform era, viewed from a legal perspective. The findings indicate that education in the colonial period was politically driven, primarily serving Dutch interests in exploiting Indonesia’s natural resources and economy. In contrast, during the post-independence period through the reform era, education was implemented in a structured manner and underwent several refinements, beginning with the 1947 curriculum and continuing through 1952, 1964, 1968, 1975, 1984, 1994, 2004, 2006, 2013, and culminating in the Merdeka Curriculum. In the post-independence era, education was oriented toward shaping individuals based on the principles of Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution.
