Paper Title
MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHERS' PERCEPTIONS OF THE MERDEKA MENGAJAR PLATFORM AS A SOURCE OF INDEPENDENT LEARNING

Abstract
Since the Covid outbreak in 2019, learning activities in the world of education have shifted from conventional offline learning to online. Since then, the use of technology has become a major concern in all fields, including education. To improve the quality of learning in Indonesia, the Minister of Education, Culture, Research and Technology (Mendikbudristek) launched the Merdeka Mengajar Platform. The Merdeka Mengajar platform is only used to get references, inspiration, and also to increase teachers' understanding of implementing the independent curriculum. PMM is designed to be used as an independent learning resource for educators with the hope that educators can improve the quality of learning. This research aims to find out the perceptions or views of educators at the Junior High School (SMP) level regarding PMM as a source of independent learning. The research method used is a survey research method with a descriptive approach. The results of this research show that the Merdeka Mengajar Platform is still not fully utilized by teachers as a source of independent learning. Keywords - Perceptions, Merdeka Mengajar Platform, Independent Learning.