Amid Earthquakes, SMAN Madani Palu Secures Spot in National MPR Four Pillars Quiz

SMAN Model Terpadu Madani Palu has successfully qualified for the final of the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR RI) Four Pillars Quiz Competition (LCC) 2026 at the Central Sulawesi Province level. The participants undertook extraordinary study preparations amidst disruptions caused by intense aftershocks over the past week. The school’s victory was announced by one of the judges, Sintiadewi Mateka, a Functional Official from the Central Sulawesi Provincial Education Office, in Birobuli Utara, South Palu, on Monday (22/6). In detail, SMAN Model Terpadu Madani Palu (Group A) scored 135 points, SMAN 6 Palu (Group B) scored 80 points, and SMAN 1 Tolitoli (Group C) scored 40 points. “Therefore, Group A from SMA Negeri Model Terpadu Madani Palu is designated as the First Place Winner of Central Sulawesi Province for the MPR RI Four Pillars Quiz Competition 2026, and is entitled to represent Central Sulawesi Province at the national level in Jakarta,” said Sintiadewi in her statement on Tuesday (23/6/2026). The three schools were the results of three preliminary rounds from a total of nine schools: SMKN 1 Sojol Utara, SMAN Model Terpadu Madani Palu, SMAN 1 Mepanga, SMAN 1 Luwuk, SMAN 6 Palu, SMAN 1 Tinakung, SMAN 1 Wita Ponda, SMAN 1 Tolitoli, and SMAN 6 Sigi. All these schools had also passed the preliminary rounds at the city and regency levels across Central Sulawesi. Their journey to this stage was not without obstacles. “There were aftershocks, and that became a slight hindrance for us to meet and study together, because of course our parents did not allow us to go out and gather in such conditions,” said one participant representing SMAN 6 Sigi, who was eliminated in the second preliminary round. Amidst these challenges, they also expressed their deepest gratitude to their parents and teachers who had guided them. Meanwhile, a representative from the winning school, I Putu Wekka Aditya from SMAN Model Terpadu Madani Palu, also experienced the same obstacles. “But alhamdulillah, this year we managed to qualify for the national level, and we really fought hard for it. Honestly, our preparation has been quite long, but we still feel it is not enough because the material is very broad and extensive,” he said. Putu, who is also participating in the National Science Olympiad (OSN) in Chemistry, admitted that the earthquakes had hampered their preparations. “At that time we were having a guidance session in the school library when suddenly a large earthquake struck, 6.7 on the Richter scale on 16 June. After that, we started to feel anxious because some parents were worried. But because we had been preparing for a long time and really wanted to win, we pushed ourselves to keep training,” he said. Facing the national level of the 2026 MPR RI Four Pillars Quiz Competition, Nita Suryani Etta, the Civics teacher and Head of the Library at SMA Negeri Model Terpadu Madani Palu, said the school would take a short break following the provincial victory before reorganising their preparations strictly. “The plan is to rest for a few days first, then reorganise the preparations. The questions are indeed different from last year. Now it really requires analytical skills. The judges are also different, now they are from academic circles, so the way of thinking is also different. We will find the best way to be ready for the national level,” she added. She also admitted to being very impressed with this year’s provincial-level organisation of the MPR RI Four Pillars Quiz Competition, which she felt was significantly improved. “It is much better now. I was shocked. It is better. My message to the organisers is, Be the best!” she concluded. Previously, the participants competed fiercely, accompanied by spirited cheers from supervising teachers both when points were gained and lost. All sessions were completed, with the first session being ‘Four Pillars Insight’, where each team had to answer questions quickly and accurately in turns. The second session shifted to a ‘Thematic’ format, demanding teamwork in presenting arguments for and against a case study determined by a random spin draw. Finally, the ‘Rebuttal’ session served as the ultimate test, pitting individual agility against one another to answer questions independently without teammates’ assistance. The participants’ abilities were assessed directly and objectively by a panel of professional judges from academic and educational bureaucracy backgrounds: Prof. Aminuddin Kasim, Professor and Lecturer at the Faculty of Law, Tadulako University; Suardi Daeng Mallawa, Head Lecturer at the Faculty of Law, Tadulako University; and Sintiadewi Mateka, Functional Official from the Central Sulawesi Provincial Education Office. At the end of the event, the winners of the best cheerleading chant, resulting from extraordinary creative efforts, were also announced: SMAN 1 Wita Ponda, SMAN 6 Palu, and SMAN 2 Luwuk. Also in attendance at the event were the Deputy Speaker of the MPR RI, Abcandra Muhammad Akbar Supratman; the Deputy Governor of Central Sulawesi, Reny Arniwaty Lamadjido; MPR RI member from the Gerindra Party Faction, Longki Djanggola; the Secretary of the Central Sulawesi Provincial Education Office, Syam Zaini, and supervising teachers from each school.