Mataram's New Student Admission System Faces Stark Imbalance

The implementation of the New Student Admission System (SPMB) for primary and junior secondary levels in Mataram has highlighted a significant imbalance in student numbers. Several schools are experiencing an excess of applicants, whilst others are facing a shortage of pupils.

Head of the Mataram Education Agency, Yusuf, stated that his office will redistribute students from oversubscribed schools to those with fewer enrolments. The process will be adjusted according to the prospective students’ domiciles. “Regarding schools that are short of students, we will distribute them to schools that are still lacking,” Yusuf said on Monday (6/7/2026).

According to Yusuf, the disparity in applicant numbers is quite striking in several schools. One example is SMP Negeri 13 Mataram, where out of a quota of 400 students, the school is less than half full. “From the results we have received, SMPN 13 Mataram is still significantly short of students. It is below 200, only half of the quota,” he explained.

A more concerning situation is occurring at SMPN 18 Mataram. Yusuf noted that the school has consistently been a low-demand option year after year, with only a handful of registrants. “SMPN 18 Mataram is even worse; year after year, the student numbers remain the same. Only 12 to 15 students,” he said.

Conversely, there is a concentration of applicants at popular schools along Jalan Pejanggik, Mataram, such as SMPN 1 Mataram and SMPN 2 Mataram, as well as SMPN 6 Mataram on Jalan Udayana. “SDN 10 Cakranegara is overcrowded; we have asked them to return. Because the central system has locked the data, there is no room for negotiation. We are instructing overcrowded schools to send students back to their original schools to prevent a pile-up,” he revealed.

Yusuf added that the process of equalisation and student transfer is currently being refined. The Mataram Education Agency is drafting a distribution scheme to balance student numbers, which includes shifting over-capacity students from SMPN 2 Mataram to SMPN 6 Mataram, from SMPN 6 Mataram to SMPN 1 Mataram, and from SMPN 1 Mataram to SMPN 15 Mataram.