Mahadevi faces long road to enter UGM

Mahadevi faces long road to enter UGM

Slamet Susanto, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta

Mahadevi, a 16 years old student, was joyful. She received
announcement from Gadjah Mada University that she had passed an
exam to enter the reputable university so that she would be soon
eligible to be a communication department student at the
university. The announcement has surprised Mahadevi because she
wrote in the registration paper that, not like other students,
she had no money so that she could not pay Fee for Academic
Quality Enhancement, which could total dozens of million rupiah.

But, Mahadevi's merriment shortly lasted. On June 30, she was
declared not pass the national exam as her mathematics mark was
4.2 or below the minimum threshold 4.26.

"I was fainted. I have worked hard to enter the university,
but now, what I have done was fruitless. I was so stressful,"
said Devi.

The national exam announcement has also shocked Devi's
parents. Soon as Devi was declared pass UGM test, the parents
borrowed money from neighbors totaling Rp 1.8 million (US$187.5)
in order to pay UGM's first semester tuition fee. But, now, the
money will apparently be idle as Devi was declared not pass
senior high school exam.

The poor family is determined to save the money pending
further announcement from UGM.

And, on Saturday, Devi finally found a light on the end of
tunnel after there was report from her senior high school that
she was given a second chance. Her school allowed her to repeat
the national exam in August. She was much more relieved after UGM
assured Devi that she would be admitted by the university if she
could pass the repeated exam.

"It has boosted my spirit. I have to pass in the repeated
exam. Moreover, my parents have done a lot for me," said elated
Devi.

Mahadevi is one among 12 senior high school students who have
been accepted by UGM during UGM own admission test held in April,
but failed to pass the national senior high school exam.

The data on the student failed to pass the senior high school
exam will apparently go up as to date, there were still few
people that reported the problem to the university registration
office.

UGM spokesman Suryo Baskoro confirmed that the students would
be allowed to participate in the repeated national exam in
August. "But, if they fail again, then they will be declared fail
in entering the university," Baskoro warned.

Like Mahadevi, there are other Yogyakarta's 18.657 senior high
school students who failed to pass the national exam.

According to data, there were 27 junior and senior high
schools where none of their students passed the national
examination.

One of those ill-fated schools was Ringinhardjo 17 Senior High
School in Bantul regency. The school has 24 students participated
in the national exam, but none of them passed the exam.

"We have done our best. We have provided them with additional
lessons to prepare for the exam, but still, the result was
disappointing," said Darmoko, the school principal.

Darmoko blamed on the low quality of students for the exam
failure. "The bright students compete to enter prestigious state
and private senior high schools, and we got the rest. The 4.26
threshold was certainly too high for our students, who are
generally not bright," he added.

However, principal of Yogyakarta 7 Senior High School Timbul
Mulyanto supported the threshold and even he proposed that
sometimes in the future, the 4.26 threshold was elevated to 6.

The rise of threshold was important in order to boost quality
of education in the country, he said.

"If the standard is not raised, I am afraid that Indonesian
education will lag behind much more compared to other countries,"
said Timbul.