Peran Dinas Pendidikan Dalam Mendukung Proses Sertifikasi Untuk Meningkatkan Kompetensi Guru SMP (Sekolah Menengah Pertama) Negeri 3 Kota Tebing Tinggi

Abstract

This study aims to determine the role of the Education Office in supporting the teacher certification process to improve the professional competence of teachers at SMP Negeri 3 Kota Tebing Tinggi. Teacher certification is one of the national policies aimed at improving the quality and professionalism of educators, as stipulated in Law Number 14 of 2005 concerning Teachers and Lecturers. In its implementation, although certification is organized by the Ministry of Education through the SIMPKB system and LPTK, the Education Office at the regional level has an important role as a facilitator, information liaison, and administrative and technical support. This research uses a descriptive qualitative approach with data collection techniques through interviews, observation, and documentation. The theory used in this research is the role theory according to Harjanto (2002), which includes four indicators, namely: equality, mutual agreement, participation, and responsiveness. The research informants consisted of the Tebing Tinggi City Education Office, the principal, and the teachers of SMP Negeri 3. The results showed that the role of the Tebing Tinggi City Education Office in supporting the teacher certification process has been running but not yet optimal. In the equality indicator, the office has tried to provide information evenly to all teachers, but not all teachers are able to access and understand the SIMPKB system optimally. On the collective agreement indicator, coordination has been established between the education office and schools, although it has not been routinely conducted in the form of collective discussion forums. On the participation indicator, teachers showed active participation in the certification process, but still relied on personal initiative. On the responsiveness indicator, the education office is quite responsive in administrative matters but still lacks technical assistance when teachers face obstacles in the field. Based on these findings, it is recommended that the Education Office improve its role through more intensive technical assistance, periodic counseling on the use of SIMPKB, and strengthening coordination between teachers, schools and local government to accelerate the equitable distribution of teacher certification and improve the quality of education in Tebing Tinggi City.