Mataram Proposes Return to Academic Tests After Zoning-Based Admissions Deemed a Failure

The Mataram City Government plans to propose a change to the national Student Admission System (SPMB) regulations to the central government. The proposal emerged after the implementation of the SPMB domicile pathway was deemed to have failed to achieve an equitable distribution of students across state schools.

Head of the Mataram City Education Office, Yusuf, stated that one of the proposals to be submitted is the reinstatement of an Academic Ability Test (TKA) as the primary requirement for new student admissions at the junior high school level. This would mirror the previously implemented Pure Ebtanas Score (NEM) system.

“The domicile-based SPMB has not run as expected. This year we will evaluate the obstacles again and refine it. We propose that the government change the regulation to use a full TKA, like the NEM,” Yusuf said on Monday.

According to Yusuf, the domicile pathway was fundamentally designed to provide educational access for students living near schools, particularly those from underprivileged families. However, in practice, the policy has been deemed unable to address the disparity in student distribution.

Consequently, the Mataram city administration plans to recommend that the SPMB be overhauled. The main point is to make the TKA score a mandatory requirement, specifically for the junior high school level.

“Entry to junior high school should just use the TKA pathway, but it depends on the ministry. We are currently conducting a study on the positive and negative impacts. If the central government agrees, alhamdulillah; if not, we will accept it,” he stressed.

Previously, the implementation of the SPMB for elementary and junior high school levels in Mataram City raised issues of participant distribution inequality. Several schools experienced an excess of registrants, while others faced a shortage of students.

According to Yusuf, the disparity in registrant numbers was quite striking in several schools. One example is SMP Negeri 13 Mataram, where out of a quota of 400 students, the school was less than half full.

“From the results we received, SMPN 13 Mataram still has a significant shortage of students. It is below 200, only half of the quota,” he said.

An even more concerning situation occurred at SMPN 18 Mataram. Yusuf stated that the school has consistently had low enrolment year after year, with the number of students reaching only a dozen registrants.

“SMPN 18 Mataram is even worse; year after year, the number of students remains the same. Only 12 to 15 students,” he explained.