National exam draws more opposition
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Teachers and academics doubt the government's planned national final exam will be able to narrow the gap in education between schools across the country.
Rostymaline Munthe, executive director of the Committee of Alternative Children's Education, which runs mobile schools for child workers, said the government could not set a national exam standard for students because schools across the country were not equal in terms of facilities and teachers.
"If the exam is forced in less-developed regions with inadequate teachers, it will do nothing but require children to achieve something that is impossible. Don't force children to achieve the impossible for the government's sake," she said.
She said measurements of educational quality would be more accurate if the measurements were adjusted for different regions.
The Ministry of National Education has said the final exam is intended to map and raise the country's educational standards. A ministerial decree says the exam will be given in May/June and October of this year.
A survey by the ministry to support its national exam policy found the majority of respondents in Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Pasuruan and West Sumatra believed standardized exams were necessary for students in junior high school, high school, vocational school and schools for the disabled.
The study used a focus group discussion method involving teachers, principals, directors and staff members of local education agencies, House of Representatives members and education campaigners from related non-governmental organizations.
The House last year demanded the government scrap its national final exam and said it would withhold funds for the exam. It said the state-organized exam violated the national education law, which stipulates that teachers have the authority to measure students' performance.
National Commission for Child Protection secretary-general, Arist Merdeka Sirait, however, said the national final exam would prevent children who did not pass the exam from moving up to the next grade.
"Therefore, systematically and structurally speaking, the exam widens the gap in education," he said.
Eko Purwono, a lecturer at the Bandung Institute of Technology and a member of Bandung's education council, said the national exam could lead to collusion between schools, teachers and students.
"Schools could mark up their students' scores in order not to tarnish their reputation," he said.
He added that the exam should only be used to chart students' performance to see how they did in different subjects. He referred to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in the U.S. as an example.
The NAEP cover civics, geography, U.S. history, mathematics, reading, science and writing. Members of the public in the U.S. are also encouraged to send comments and suggestions to improve test questions. (005)