Cirebon's Online Junior High School Admissions See Parents Still Flocking to Schools for Help

The 2026 New Student Admission System (SPMB) for junior high schools in Cirebon City has begun. Although the process is conducted online, numerous parents were observed visiting their target junior high schools to complete the registration process.

Based on observations at SMP Negeri 4 Cirebon City on Thursday (18/6), several parents were present at the school. One such parent, Ida Rosidah, visited the school to register her child. “My child, from SD Kartika, has long wanted to register at this school,” said Ida. Her child has achievements in sports, and SMP 4 hosts many student-athletes. Consequently, Ida is registering her child through the sports achievement pathway.

Ida admitted she intentionally visited the registration committee at the target school due to fears of making mistakes. “Since the registration is online, I am afraid of making errors. So, I came here directly,” she explained.

Meanwhile, the Cirebon City Education Office (Disdik) in West Java has opened assistance services for parents and students during the 2026 SPMB implementation. “The goal is to minimise errors during the online registration process,” said Ade Cahyani, Head of the Basic Education Division of the Cirebon City Education Office. Registration can be carried out at the student’s previous school, the target school, or the Cirebon City Education Office.

Ade explained that assistance is provided because parents’ abilities to use mobile devices and access digital services vary. However, the registration process must still be completed online, and data verification must be conducted according to the applicable standard operating procedures (SOP).

The most frequent errors found during the registration process include incorrect data entry and discrepancies in the domicile coordinates of prospective students. Schools may reject data that does not match verification results; therefore, parents and prospective students are urged to ensure all inputted data is correct before submission.

Furthermore, the Cirebon City SPMB is divided into two stages: the first and second stages. Currently, new student registration has entered the first stage, which covers the affirmation, mutation, and achievement pathways.

For the first stage of SPMB, the Cirebon City Education Office has set a quota of 30 per cent for the achievement pathway, 20 per cent for affirmation, and 5 per cent for mutation, totalling 55 per cent of the total available capacity. “A portion of the affirmation quota is also allocated for students with special needs (PDBK),” said Ade.

The remaining 45 per cent of the quota will be opened in the second stage through the domicile pathway, in accordance with the provisions established by the local government.