MPR's Quiz Competition Scoring System Overhauled, Now Features 'VAR'
The Acting Secretary General of the MPR RI, Siti Fauziah, has revealed several improvements and updates for the implementation of the 2026 MPR RI Four Pillars Quiz Competition (LCC). These innovations include the refinement of the scoring system, the strengthening of oversight mechanisms, and the addition of new award categories to enhance the quality of the competition.
One of the changes implemented is the use of a monitoring system that allows the board of judges and the committee to conduct reviews if discrepancies arise during the scoring process. This review is conducted by replaying recordings of the disputed moments, similar to the VAR system in football, which allows referees to review video footage before deciding or overturning a decision regarding an incident on the field.
“In the LCC championship, there is now a monitoring system. If there are issues or disagreements in the assessment, we can review the recordings. Furthermore, we are involving more regional judges,” said Titi, her familiar nickname, in a statement in Jakarta on Sunday (14/6).
Titi made these remarks after presenting trophies and medals to SMAN 2 Katingan Kuala as the first-place winner of the MPR RI Four Pillars LCC for high schools in Central Kalimantan Province at the Kalawa Convention Hall, Palangka Raya, on Saturday (13/6).
According to her, a thorough evaluation of various technical aspects of the competition is being conducted to ensure the LCC is carried out in a more transparent, objective, and accountable manner. Additionally, the MPR RI now requires all judges to use monitoring headphones during the competition. This step is taken to ensure that every participant’s answer can be heard clearly, thereby minimising the potential for scoring errors.
“We have evaluated many technical aspects of the competition. Judges are now required to use headphones. This is mandatory to ensure they can hear the participants’ answers more clearly,” she said.
The current LCC implementation also introduces a new category: appreciation for the best chant (yel-yel). This award is given to participants who demonstrate creativity and national spirit through the chants performed at the start of the competition. Titi explained that the assessment focuses not only on the enthusiasm shown by participants but also considers elements of regional culture, nationalism, and the ability to appropriately blend regional languages, Indonesian, and foreign languages.
“We now assess these chants with the hope that participants will display creations that reflect regional, national, and international flavours. Personally, I have seen the good use of regional, foreign, and Indonesian languages in the materials presented,” she noted.
In the Central Kalimantan Province level of the 2026 MPR RI Four Pillars LCC, the best chant appreciation in the first preliminary round was awarded to SMAN 1 Pangkalan Bun, the second preliminary round to SMAN 1 Kuala Kurun, and the third preliminary round to SMAN 1 Buntok.
Titi expressed hope that this category would be maintained until the grand final of the MPR RI Four Pillars LCC in Jakarta, serving as a space for participants to express creativity while strengthening their understanding of national values.
These improvements follow a national controversy during the final of the MPR RI Four Pillars Quiz Competition in West Kalimantan province some time ago. The controversy was triggered by judges providing different scores for the same answer. At that time, Group C from SMAN 1 Pontianak, who pressed the buzzer first and was invited to answer, received a score of -5. When the question was read again and Group B from SMAN 1 Sambas answered, the judges awarded them 10 points, even though Group B’s answer was identical to the one previously provided by Group C. This controversy sparked public criticism, leading the MPR to issue a public apology.