It was past midnight. But the officials gathered in a meeting room at the Hotel Jayakarta, Jalan Hayam Wuruk, Central Jakarta, in September 2012 remained serious. From early evening, dozens of Education and Culture Ministry officials had been engaged in an intense discussion of a plan to a change Curriculum 2006. "It was indeed a very tough meeting," Deputy Education Minister Musliar Kasim told Tempo.

Tough indeed. Curriculum 2006, or the Educatio