More tests, more fees for sixth graders of elementary schools

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

This month may become a tiring month for sixth graders of elementary schools as they have to take two consecutive examinations to graduate and become eligible for junior high school.

The city administration has recently ruled that elementary schools graduates have to take an admission test to go on to the next level. Previously, they only had to take a final examination to graduate from the elementary schools and then could enroll in the junior high of their choice.

"I have twin children and both will do their final exams next Monday. After that, they will also have to take an admission test for the junior high school," Juniarto, who resides in Bekasi, West Java, told The Jakarta Post on Thursday. His children are students of state elementary school SD Harapan Jaya 09 in Bekasi.

Juniarto lambasted those two tests, saying that they were too much of a burden for children. He also grumbled that the school failed to inform them of the exact date and how much they would be required to pay for the admission test.

Meanwhile, Herman Yosef, principal of state SMP 57 in Guntur, South Jakarta, admitted that his school had yet to obtain the guidelines for the admission test from the city administration's education office.

"We don't know whether or not the admission test will be free of charge as the administration's education office has yet to inform us," Herman said, adding that the admission test could be held on June 21.

The school, Herman said, had not yet determined the admission fee imposed to the new students. "We will discuss it first with students' parents," he said.

Last year, the school required every new student to pay Rp 250,000 (US$28) as an admission fee to public schools which are funded from the state budget, Herman said.

Herman revealed that, unlike last year the students have more options for entering junior high schools. "Last year, an elementary school graduate could only go to junior high in the elementary school's district. This year their choices are bigger as they can choose schools in four districts," he said.

Unlike state schools, many private schools had finished their admission tests.

"We completed the admission tests last month, so we have closed the enrollment for new students," said S. Imam Suwaji, the principal of junior high school Al Azhar 1 in South Jakarta.

Most of the new students came from Al-Azhar elementary school.

Imam said a total of 240 new students had passed the admission test. Of the new students, 20 students would enter a special class for an "accelerated school program", which only takes two years instead of three years.

"But, those short-listed students are those who passed various additional tests including intellectual and psychological tests," he said.

Imam said the new students must pay Rp 50,000 for the registration fee and Rp 100,000 for psychological test. In addition, they have to pay Rp 7.5 million for the admission fee.