JPPI: 2026 New Student Admission System Still Fails to Guarantee Children's Right to Education

The Indonesian Education Monitoring Network (JPPI) has assessed that the implementation of the 2026 New Student Admission System (SPMB) still leaves various fundamental problems unresolved. According to the organisation, the new student admission system is still built as a selection mechanism to compete for school seats, rather than as an instrument to fulfil the right to education.

“SPMB is not an exam to determine who deserves an education. The function of SPMB should be to ensure all children obtain a quality school seat, not to become a selection tool that produces children who pass and children who fail,” said JPPI National Coordinator Ubaid Matraji on Monday, 6 July 2026.

JPPI assessed that this year’s SPMB problems were exacerbated by differing rules in each region. Issues included varying interpretations of regulations, policy changes mid-selection process, and unclear information that confused the public.

Based on monitoring and complaints received during the 2026 SPMB implementation, JPPI collected 301 reports of alleged problems across various admission pathways. The domicile pathway was the most reported, with 187 complaints or about 62 per cent. Problems that emerged included alleged address manipulation, family card engineering, and the use of relatives’ addresses so that prospective students could be accepted at certain schools.

The achievement pathway contributed 69 reports, or about 22 per cent. Complaints received included alleged inflation of report card grades, weak verification of achievement certificates, and differing assessment standards between regions. Meanwhile, the affirmation pathway recorded 33 reports or 11 per cent, and the transfer pathway accounted for 12 reports or about 5 per cent.

According to Ubaid, the high number of alleged irregularities shows that the root of the problem is not merely dishonest behaviour by the public, but the limited capacity of quality schools. “The scarcer quality school seats become, the higher their transactional value. When the official door is made complicated and narrow, a back door will emerge through gratuities, entrusted students, seat trading, and various forms of manipulation,” he said.

JPPI also highlighted the continued allegations of gratuities, illegal levies, entrusted students, and seat trading in the SPMB implementation. The organisation warned that such practices rob children of their right to obtain an education fairly.

As an example, JPPI highlighted the conditions in South Tangerang City. Out of approximately 25,000 primary school graduates, only about 9,000 seats are available in public junior secondary schools. This means more than 16,000 children must seek private schools or risk not continuing their education if constrained by costs. According to JPPI, similar conditions occur in many regions because public school capacity is not proportional to the number of graduates, while access to private schools is not yet fully guaranteed by the state.

Therefore, JPPI is urging the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education to change the SPMB paradigm from a selection mechanism to a system that guarantees every child access to quality education. The organisation also requested that the government simplify regulations, develop a roadmap for increasing school capacity, and build a joint oversight system with the Corruption Eradication Commission, the Ombudsman, and civil society to prevent gratuity and seat trading practices.

Tempo has sought confirmation from Minister of Primary and Secondary Education Abdul Mu’ti and Vice Minister Atip Latipulhayat regarding JPPI’s findings. However, as of the writing of this report, Mu’ti and Atip had not yet provided a response.