IMPLEMENTASI PENDIDIKAN POLITIK BAGI SISWA SEKOLAH MENENGA ATAS (SMA) SEBAGAI PEMILIH PEMULA DI KABUPATEN LEMBATA

Political education has an important role in forming a young generation who understands their rights and obligations as citizens. This research aims to implement political education for senior high school (SMA) students as novice voters. The method used in this research is qualitative research with a descriptive approach which includes observation, interviews and document analysis. The research results show that political education in schools is implemented through various means, such as PPKn (Pancasila and Citizenship Education) learning, thematic discussions, election simulations, and student participation in intra-school organizations. The aim of this implementation is to increase students' understanding of the political system, the importance of participation in elections, and how to become intelligent and critical voters. However, there are still challenges faced, including teachers' lack of understanding of the latest political material, limited allocation of learning time, and the lack of direct involvement of students in real political activities. This research suggests the need to strengthen the political curriculum and collaboration between schools, government and election organizers to provide more comprehensive and contextual political education. In this way, high school students can be better prepared to participate actively as responsible beginner voters, in supporting democracy in Indonesia.