Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education Reports Smooth TKA Implementation Without Issues in Serang
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (Kemendikdasmen) reports that the implementation of the Academic Ability Test (TKA) for junior secondary school level in Serang City, Banten Province, ran smoothly without technical disruptions.
Deputy Minister of Basic and Secondary Education (Wamendikdasmen) Atip Latipulhayat commended the readiness of the schools, which successfully organised the TKA well despite limited facilities.
“Alhamdulillah, the implementation went smoothly. Due to limited facilities, the TKA was conducted in waves. I have checked, and overall, there were no technical disruptions,” said Atip in a written statement in Jakarta on Tuesday.
He also emphasised that the results of this test will be used to evaluate individual student abilities and serve as a reference for the government in making improvements to learning in the future.
Atip also urged students to maintain their enthusiasm and confidence in answering the questions.
“Keep the spirit to carry out the TKA, show that you are smart students. I am confident that you will achieve good scores,” he added.
He further explained that the series of preparations began with socialisation to students and parents, two simulations, a rehearsal, up to the trial implementation.
“The children were also equipped with a TKA guidebook whose material was dissected by Grade 9 Indonesian Language and Mathematics teachers. For the number of participants, there are 378 students, and all participated in the TKA voluntarily with permission from their respective parents,” he said.
Regarding facilities, Sanyata acknowledged the limitations in computer devices, where SMPN 11 Serang City currently only has one computer laboratory with 35 laptops.
To address this, the school divided the TKA implementation into three waves with four sessions per day, running until 3:30 PM WIB.
Sanyata also stressed the main function of TKA as a national standard instrument for mapping students’ academic competencies, not as the sole determinant of graduation.
“My message to the children is to carry out the TKA relaxed, honestly, and joyfully,” she said.
Enthusiasm was also felt by the exam participants, one of whom is Khoirul Fariz Maulana.
He admitted to feeling relieved after completing the exam, although he faced challenges in the Mathematics subject.
“My feeling is happy and relieved. Mathematics is indeed difficult because it requires using and memorising formulas, but I am 100% confident because it is the result of my own efforts,” he said.
A similar sentiment was expressed by Farah Maulida Nury, who views TKA as important for measuring one’s abilities. She admitted to preparing herself through independent study and participating in simulations and trials facilitated by the school.
“This TKA is important for training academic abilities. I hope friends stay enthusiastic and can answer the questions correctly,” said Farah.