Independent body to run exams

Independent body to run exams

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

An independent body will be in charge of holding the national
final school examinations (UAN) next year throughout Indonesia,
thereby putting an end to the government's role, Minister of
National Education Bambang Sudibyo told the House of
Representatives Commission X on Monday.

"The government will still organize the UAN this year. Next
year it will done by an independent body as stipulated in
Education Law No. 58 verse 2," he told lawmakers during a
hearing.

The decision by the current minister to continue the
controversial UAN policy, which was first introduced last year by
the previous administration, has drawn criticism from lawmakers
and others, who said that the policy was against the law on
education partly because of the government's direct role in
organizing and running the national examination.

Other critics added that it was irrational to hold such exams
because of the quality gap between schools in the country, and
because it would push teachers to focus their attention on how
their students could achieve high scores on just the three
subjects being tested (English, Indonesian and mathematics). The
system would also open up an opportunity for corruption, critics
said.

The minister has been accused of failing to fulfill his
earlier promise to eliminate the UAN policy completely. In reply
to the criticism, Bambang said that the government had never been
inconsistent about its promises. "It (idea of ending the exam)
was only a tentative comment at the time when I was chosen as a
minister."

The current Cabinet team was set up shortly after President
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was inaugurated in October.

Meanwhile, lawmakers continued to criticize the UAN policy
during Monday's meeting. Commission X chairman Heri Akhmadi
insisted that the policy was inconsistent with the existing law,
but he did not explain exactly how.

He also said that there was concern among lawmakers about
possible corruption, particularly with the funds allocated for
financing the UAN, because the details had not been spelled out
in the 2005 state budget.

This year's test will be implemented in May and October.
Starting from 2006, the UAN will be held in February and October.
There will not be a second examination, meaning unsuccessful
students will need to repeat their final year.

The minister and legislators were unable to reach an agreement
on the possible solutions to the UAN problems. A meeting focused
on those will be held on Thursday.(005)