<![CDATA[The quality of primary education in Indonesia continues to face major challenges, particularly concerning regional disparities, literacy achievement, and teacher competence. Post-reform decentralization policies granted local governments broad authority over education management, including teacher distribution, budget allocation, and curriculum adjustments tailored to local needs. However, these policies have not fully improved educational quality due to bureaucratic limitations, budget politicization, and fiscal capacity gaps among regions. Meanwhile, local culture plays an ambivalent role. Cultural values such as cooperation, consensus, and traditional wisdom can strengthen character education and contextual learning, while certain practices, such as early marriage, gender bias, or excessive reliance on local languages, hinder school participation. This study employed a literature review method by examining academic sources, national reports, and relevant international studies. The findings reveal that decentralization and local culture exhibit both complementary and conflicting impacts on primary education quality. Their synergy can enhance educational outcomes if managed with transparent governance, data-driven policies, and selective integration of positive cultural values. These results highlight the importance of aligning political decentralization with cultural management to sustainably improve the quality of primary education in Indonesia.]]>
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