Aliyah students complain

Aliyah students complain

JAKARTA (JP): Students of a state-owned Islamic senior high
school (madrasah aliyah) in Mampang Prapatan, South Jakarta,
complained that most of the nationwide state examination
questions (Ebtanas) are new to them.

"Difficult", shouted a number of the students in chorus when
asked about the nationwide state examination, administered on
Tuesday.

One of the students said he was not conversant with most of
the material which appeared in the exam because he did not get
them in the school.

Of the students, only Achmad Alwi, 17, who said that he was
familiar with most of the questions and that the exam was not
difficult for him. He is the second best student at the school.

This year students of Islamic senior high schools who are not
in purely Islamic studies are for the first time required to take
Ebtanas nationwide state examinations instead of Ebta school
exams.

In general senior high schools, there are four study programs:
A1 for students specializing in mathematics and physics, A2 in
biology, A3 in social studies, and A4 in cultural studies.

Madrasah aliyah, on the other hand, offers five study
programs: A1 for those specializing in Islamic studies, A2 in
physics, A3 in biology, A4 in social studies, and A5 in cultural
studies.

Examination questions for Ebtanas are made and controlled by
the Ministry of Education and Culture, while those for Ebta by
the Ministry of Religious Affairs.

Chamdun, the head of a subdirectorate in charge of the
development of madrasah aliyah at the Ministry of Religious
Affairs, when asked to comment on the students' complaints, said
that the difference between Ebta and Ebtanas is actually not
great since both are based on the government-set 1984 curriculum.

Unlike teaching materials for general schools, which can be
given in full, the materials for madrasah aliyah, however, are
"condensed" because in such madrasah, students who take either
science programs or social studies are also required to take
Islamic studies, Chamdun said.

However, in the new 1994 curriculum, which is scheduled to be
introduced next month, there will be no more condensed teaching
materials, Chamdun added.

Another difference is that unlike their counterparts in
general schools, students of madrasah are required to study
Islamic studies, Chamdun said, adding that the marks they get in
these studies have an impact on whether or not they pass the
entire exam.

"Roughly estimated I can say that the proportion of Islamic
studies to science programs or social studies given to them is 30
percent to 70 percent," Chamdun said.

Problems

Ahmad Suwandi, the principal of the Islamic senior high school
Madrasah Aliyah Negeri I Filial Mampang Prapatan, which was set
up in 1968 and is the oldest madrasah in Indonesia, said the
administering of Ebtanas in his school created some scheduling
and administration problems.

"Actually madrasah students do not need to take Ebtanas
because Ebta is rated the same in effect as stated by a 1984
joint decree by the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Ministry of
Education and Culture and Ministry of Home Affairs, Ahmad said.

Another problem, according to Ahmad, was that he was not yet
informed of whether a gubernatorial decree which regulates the
examination fees has been issued.

Students of his madrasah are required to pay examination fees
of Rp 24,500 (US$11.4) for both Ebta and Ebtanas, Ahmad said,
adding that other schools require their students to pay Rp 35,000
for Ebtanas fees. (06)