Failed students can retake national exam: Minister

Leony Aurora , The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Repeat exams could be the solution to the controversy surrounding the planned national final examinations, Minister of National Education Abdul Malik Fajar said on Friday.

Malik Fajar said while a passing grade would stand, repeat tests would be reinstated so that students who failed this year's exams would not have to wait for another year to retake the tests.

"The remedial (repeat) tests can be taken within a few months (after the first exam)," he said after officially taking over from Jusuf Kalla as the interim coordinating minister for peoples' welfare.

The education ministry had previously announced there would be no more repeat tests this year although the passing grade for this academic year had been increased to four from possible 10 from last year's three.

"We will not lower the standard. Next year, it (the passing grade) will be five," Malik said.

For this year's national final exams, the ministry will draft tests in three subjects -- English, Bahasa Indonesia and Mathematics. To continue their education, junior high and high school students have to score a passing grade in all subjects to move to the next level.

In 2003, 8 percent of all students taking the exams failed. Schools received failed students on a "try-out" basis pending their repeat tests. After the second try, the number of failed students was halved.

Based on last year's results, some education observers have predicted up to 25 percent of 2.5 million junior high school students would fail their exams this year, mostly because of the math portion.

Protests against the national final exams have mounted, with members of the House of Representatives joining the chorus. A number of student and teacher organizations have complained in Jakarta and Surabaya.

A coalition of teacher associations and several non- governmental organizations said on Friday that within three days, they had recorded 52 complaints through its hotline in Jakarta.

"We received calls from Bandung, Medan and Greater Jakarta," said Suparman, the Coalition for Education's coordinator.

Suparman also said the Indonesian Corruption Watch, a member of the coalition, was planning to look into possible irregularities in the funding for the national final exams, which will take place in May.

For the exams, the government has allocated Rp 260 billion (US$30.23 million) from the state budget to subsidize 3.62 million junior and senior high school students this year.

The secretary to the ministry's Directorate General for Elementary and Intermediate Education, Sungkowo, told the public that allocations for each province would depend on the number of students taking the exams last year and its own financial ability.

South Kalimantan, for example, should receive Rp 2.99 billion from the state budget for 95,000 students, or Rp 31,526 for each student. Central Java should receive Rp 33.22 billion for 752,752 students, or Rp 44,127 for each student.

However, Antara quoted the Central Java education agency as stating that the state budget would cover only Rp 18,325 of subsidy for each junior high school student and Rp 19,950 for every senior high school student.