ELT policy in Indonesia’s national curriculum and educational inequality: A systematic literature review

Abstract

This systematic literature review examines English language learning policy in Indonesia’s national curriculum and its relationship with inequality of access and educational quality at the secondary school level. Guided by questions on curriculum implementation, unequal access and quality, and the roles of teacher competence, technology integration, and Global Englishes, the review synthesized scholarship published between 2016 and 2026. A systematic search was conducted in January 2026 using Scopus, Web of Science, and ScienceDirect. From 1,162 initially identified records, duplicates were removed, titles and abstracts were screened, and full texts were assessed using predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. The final corpus comprised 27 articles. Data were extracted using a structured form and analyzed thematically. The synthesis shows that inequality in English language learning is produced through the interaction of curriculum policy implementation, school resources, teacher competence and distribution, technology access, students’ socioeconomic backgrounds, and dominant language ideologies. Although national curriculum reforms promote communicative, contextual, and inclusive English learning, implementation remains uneven across regions and school contexts. Technology integration and Global Englishes may support more inclusive English learning, but they can also reproduce inequality when infrastructure, teacher digital competence, and locally responsive pedagogies are limited. The review concludes that improving English language learning quality requires equity-oriented policy implementation, sustained teacher professional development, inclusive digital integration, and recognition of Indonesia’s linguistic diversity.