Junior high schools can organize own tests: Govt

Debbie A. Lubis, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The government has gone ahead with its decision to abolish the national examinations (Ebtanas) for elementary schools this month through the issuance of a new decree on Friday allowing junior high schools to organize scholastic and aptitude tests themselves to screen enrolling students.

This ruling, set out in Ministry of Education Decree No. 051/U/2002 on school enrollment, provides that acceptance by a junior high school will be based on the grades received in the final examination in the elementary school, taking into account the distance between the school and the student's home, talent in the sporting, artistic, scientific and technological fields, age, and the economic background of the enrolling student.

"If enrolling students do not meet the requirements, schools may organize scholastic and aptitude tests," says the decree, which was unveiled by education minister A. Malik Fadjar on Friday.

The decree comes into effect on April 10, 2002.

It affects both junior high schools and parents who wish to enroll their children in particular schools.

Most junior high school administrators prefer to organize their own tests instead of relying on the students' academic records since the tests are considered to be more objective and reliable.

Parents, on the other hand, are worried that their children will be unable to go to their selected schools as the tests will give rise to tight competition among prospective students.

Parents have also voiced concerns over possible unfair practices during the entrance examinations. Cheating, bribery, marked-up test results and collusion could occur as the schools have greater authority to organize their own entrance examinations.

Minister Malik said that the new ruling guaranteed that schools would have greater authority in managing their own affairs based on school-based management.

"Of course, there will be many flaws during the first and second year of the ruling's implementation as the schools need to adjust themselves," he said.

Aside from the decree on school enrollment, the Ministry of Education has also recently issued Decree No.047/U/2002 on national final examinations for junior and senior high schools. This came into effect on April 4 this year.

The decree authorizes schools to organize their own final examinations in subjects other than mathematics, physics, biology, chemistry, Pancasila, Bahasa Indonesia and English.

Although the government provides guidelines, the schools are free to arrange their final examinations including the planning and preparation of materials, the test forms, the correcting and marking system, and the submission of the necessary reports to the relevant agencies.

The ministry also issued Decree No. 044/U/2002 which provides for the establishment of an education board in every regency and municipality, and education committee in every school.

The decree, which took effect on April 2, stipulates that educationalists, non-governmental organization (NGO) representatives, community leaders and business people should have seats on both organizations.