Mahadevi faces long road to enter UGM<\/p>\n
Slamet Susanto, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta<\/p>\n
Mahadevi, a 16 years old student, was joyful. She received
\nannouncement from Gadjah Mada University that she had passed an
\nexam to enter the reputable university so that she would be soon
\neligible to be a communication department student at the
\nuniversity. The announcement has surprised Mahadevi because she
\nwrote in the registration paper that, not like other students,
\nshe had no money so that she could not pay Fee for Academic
\nQuality Enhancement, which could total dozens of million rupiah.<\/p>\n
But, Mahadevi's merriment shortly lasted. On June 30, she was
\ndeclared not pass the national exam as her mathematics mark was
\n4.2 or below the minimum threshold 4.26.<\/p>\n
"I was fainted. I have worked hard to enter the university,
\nbut now, what I have done was fruitless. I was so stressful,"
\nsaid Devi.<\/p>\n
The national exam announcement has also shocked Devi's
\nparents. Soon as Devi was declared pass UGM test, the parents
\nborrowed money from neighbors totaling Rp 1.8 million (US$187.5)
\nin order to pay UGM's first semester tuition fee. But, now, the
\nmoney will apparently be idle as Devi was declared not pass
\nsenior high school exam.<\/p>\n
The poor family is determined to save the money pending
\nfurther announcement from UGM.<\/p>\n
And, on Saturday, Devi finally found a light on the end of
\ntunnel after there was report from her senior high school that
\nshe was given a second chance. Her school allowed her to repeat
\nthe national exam in August. She was much more relieved after UGM
\nassured Devi that she would be admitted by the university if she
\ncould pass the repeated exam.<\/p>\n
"It has boosted my spirit. I have to pass in the repeated
\nexam. Moreover, my parents have done a lot for me," said elated
\nDevi.<\/p>\n
Mahadevi is one among 12 senior high school students who have
\nbeen accepted by UGM during UGM own admission test held in April,
\nbut failed to pass the national senior high school exam.<\/p>\n
The data on the student failed to pass the senior high school
\nexam will apparently go up as to date, there were still few
\npeople that reported the problem to the university registration
\noffice.<\/p>\n
UGM spokesman Suryo Baskoro confirmed that the students would
\nbe allowed to participate in the repeated national exam in
\nAugust. "But, if they fail again, then they will be declared fail
\nin entering the university," Baskoro warned.<\/p>\n
Like Mahadevi, there are other Yogyakarta's 18.657 senior high
\nschool students who failed to pass the national exam.<\/p>\n
According to data, there were 27 junior and senior high
\nschools where none of their students passed the national
\nexamination.<\/p>\n
One of those ill-fated schools was Ringinhardjo 17 Senior High
\nSchool in Bantul regency. The school has 24 students participated
\nin the national exam, but none of them passed the exam.<\/p>\n
"We have done our best. We have provided them with additional
\nlessons to prepare for the exam, but still, the result was
\ndisappointing," said Darmoko, the school principal.<\/p>\n
Darmoko blamed on the low quality of students for the exam
\nfailure. "The bright students compete to enter prestigious state
\nand private senior high schools, and we got the rest. The 4.26
\nthreshold was certainly too high for our students, who are
\ngenerally not bright," he added.<\/p>\n
However, principal of Yogyakarta 7 Senior High School Timbul
\nMulyanto supported the threshold and even he proposed that
\nsometimes in the future, the 4.26 threshold was elevated to 6.<\/p>\n
The rise of threshold was important in order to boost quality
\nof education in the country, he said.<\/p>\n
"If the standard is not raised, I am afraid that Indonesian
\neducation will lag behind much more compared to other countries,"
\nsaid Timbul.<\/p>",
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