Ministerial decree on remedial exams released

Leony Aurora, Jakarta

The Minister of National Education has issued a decree to officially reinstate second tests for junior and senior high school students who fail their national final examinations this year.

Ministerial Decree No. 037/U/2004 on remedial tests, signed on April 26, also indicates the education ministry's determination to push ahead with national exams, regardless of mounting public outcry against them.

Indra Djati Sidi, the ministry's director general of Elementary and Secondary Education, said here on Tuesday that based on last year's results, 10 percent to 20 percent of students would have scores lower than 4.01, and thus, fail the exams.

He added, however, that with the extra effort of students and teachers, the figure was expected to decline.

"We will give the (failed) students a second chance to improve their grades," he said, adding the government had allocated Rp 20 billion (US$2.32 million) for the remedial tests.

The ministry had initially scrapped second tests for this year's national exams. Previously, students with marks lower than 4.01 in any subject would not receive a "passing certificate" and would have to wait a year to retake the tests.

Without the certificate, students cannot continue their education to a higher level.

The education ministry has picked English, Bahasa Indonesia and Maths as the subjects to be tested in the national exams, while schools are in charge of the other subjects.

Second tests for the three subjects would be held nationally from July 15 to July 17 for junior high school students and from July 8 to July 10 for senior high school students.

Last year, 8 percent of students who took the exams failed to pass the minimum grade of 3.01, but the remedial tests halved the figure.

There is a possibility that students of some conflict-prone areas, such as Papua, Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam and Maluku, would be exempt from the exams.

"Our team is currently observing the areas to determine whether or not students there can undergo the national exams," said Bahrul Hayat, head of the ministry's Center for Education Assessment.

Teachers, third-year students, and concerned parents have joined hands to protest the national exams, especially since try- out tests indicated students were likely to achieve poor results. They have demanded the exams be canceled, claiming the evaluation of students should be in the hands of teachers rather than the government.

On Monday, three major factions of the House of Representatives -- the National Awakening Party (PKB), the Golkar Party and the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) -- said holding the compulsory exams was not in accordance with Law No. 20/2003 on the national education system, which was endorsed last year.

Indra said the ministry would provide details about the exams in a hearing with House members, scheduled for either Wednesday or Thursday.

"The policy (on the national exams) did not come about all of a sudden but was based on input from the public, and education experts," said Indra.

He added that a standard of quality was essential to push students, teachers, and parents to put more effort into the education process.