2,535 Aceh students avoid exams

BANDA ACEH, Aceh: The provincial office of the Ministry of Education and Culture has recorded 2,535 elementary students who did not sit last month's national final examination.

Head of the office, Syahbuddin AR, told Antara here on Friday that his office did not know why the students did not participate in the exams.

"But I think the main factor that led the elementary students to avoid the exam is their parents, who thought that the national final examination is not so important," Syahbuddin said.

Passing the examination is the basic requirement for students to obtain their graduation certificates, which are necessary for continuing studies and for some jobs.

According to Syahbuddin, the figure includes scores of elementary school students in South Aceh regency.

He said schools have not suggested any reasons for the students not taking part in the exams.

He said there were 79,223 elementary students in the province of four million people that should have sat the final exams this year.

His office revealed that only 76,688 elementary students took the test.