Giving schools and teachers autonomy in teacher professional development under a medium-capability education system

Jakarta’s local education agency decided to create a reform that gives more autonomy toward schools and teachers in determining teacher professional development plan. The new system has been piloted since November 2021. In this Note, we aim to understand how the schools and teachers respond to the new teacher professional development system. We compare experience and motivation of different characteristics of teachers. Key points: a) Long experience under a top-down system has caused schools and teachers in Jakarta to feel that teacher professional development is not their responsibility; b) Low-motivated teachers are at risk of not participating in any professional activities because Jakarta tried to improve its system by giving autonomy to teachers regarding their own professional development; c) For low-motivated teachers, school leadership plays a key role in directing teachers to use their autonomy for professional development; d) School leaders can develop a professional development-oriented school culture by creating professional development regulations.