Major DPR factions say no to national exam

Major DPR factions say no to national exam

M. Taufiqurrahman
Jakarta

Joining the chorus rejecting the nationwide final examinations
sponsored by the Ministry of National Education, three major
factions at the House of Representatives (DPR) demanded on Monday
that the government abort the planned exams.

The National Awakening Party (PKB), the Golkar Party and the
Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) factions argued
that the examinations violated Law No. 20/2003 on national
education, which they deliberated and endorsed last year.

"We have stated clearly that the planned exams violate the
Education Law, as it stipulates that only teachers -- not the
government -- have the right to evaluate how students have
performed in their studies," Taufiqurrahman Saleh of the PKB
faction, also chairman of House Commission VI on education, said
at a hearing between the commission and coalition of concerned
NGOs.

He pledged that all Commission VI members would join forces to
block the planned exams during a hearing on Wednesday between the
commission and Minister for National Education Abdul Malik Fajar.

"We have decided upon our stance and will be resolute in
demanding the scrapping of final examinations," he said.

Taufiqurrahman said the ministry's plan only worsened the
condition of education, which has consistently deteriorated over
the years.

Also present at the hearing were Heri Akhmadi of the PDI-P
faction and Anwar Arifin of the Golkar Party faction, who took
turns in reiterating their factions' objections to the exams.

Anwar said Golkar rejected the exams, as its realization would
mean that thousands of students from poor provinces would fail.

"Due to financial constraints afflicting students from poor
provinces such as Papua, (such students) have difficulty catching
up with their peers from more developed provinces in the tested
subjects," he said, adding that the government should let
individual schools hold the exams.

Earlier, the PDI-P faction had urged the education minister to
call off his plan for centralized final exams. The faction said
Ministerial Decree No. 153/U/2003, upon which the national final
exams were based, contradicted Article 58 (1) of the Education
Law stipulating that teachers were to evaluate their students and
review their ongoing progress and improvement.

"Instead of being entangled in the exams issue, it would be
better if the ministry concentrated on making improvements in
national education," Heri said.

Despite the public outcry, the ministry has said it would
press ahead with the nationwide final examinations, scheduled to
take place from May 10 to May 15.

It has prepared for a nationwide test in three subjects --
Mathematics, English and Bahasa Indonesia -- while other subjects
are to be prepared by individual schools.

The plan has met with widespread resistance from teachers who
feel that their authority is being undermined by the ministry,
students who were afraid of failing the test and parents who were
stressed by the increased strain upon their children.

Concerned NGOs in the coalition alleged that the national
exams would be rife with corruption, as it would involve the
disbursement of Rp 260 billion (US$30 million) to state-run and
private schools to cover administrative costs of the exams.

The coalition has requested that the Supreme Court conduct a
judicial review about the validity of the ministerial decree on
final exams against the existing law.