Primary and Junior High Academic Ability Tests Scheduled for April, Ministry Says Participation Reaches 98 Percent

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (Kemendikdasmen) has stated that it is prepared to conduct the Academic Ability Test (TKA) for primary and junior high school levels in April, with a total participation rate of 98 percent.

The Head of the Education Standards, Curriculum, and Assessment Agency (BSKAP) of Kemendikdasmen, Toni Toharudin, noted that almost 98 percent of students at primary and junior high school levels are ready to take the 2026 Academic Ability Test (TKA).

“Participation rates for TKA at the primary school level stand at 98.96 percent, madrasah ibtidaiyah (MI) at 97.90 percent, junior high school at 98.04 percent, and madrasah tsanawiyah (MTs) at 97.54 percent,” Toni said when contacted in Jakarta on Tuesday.

He explained that these percentages cover 4,452,983 students at the primary school/MI/equivalent level and 4,207,516 at the junior high school/MTs level.

This is because the TKA for primary and junior high school levels will be combined with the National Assessment (AN), so the test not only measures students’ academic achievements but also aims to assess the quality of education across all educational units and regions.

“If I think positively, every school, even every teacher and student, has an increasing awareness of student culture, which is what we hope for. If the student culture is already good, then improvement in quality will be easier, because we can identify each weakness and conduct reflection,” he said.

The ministry also recorded that 9,637 primary school units will have their students sit for the TKA at other schools due to limited facilities.

“The number of primary schools hosting exams elsewhere is 9,637 (5.59 percent), and for junior high schools, 1,546 (2.5 percent),” Toni stated.

For information, the TKA for junior high school level will take place from 6-16 April 2026, while for primary school, it will be from 20-30 April 2026.

Each participant will undergo the TKA over two days, with the first day covering mathematics and numeracy subjects along with a character survey, and the second day covering Indonesian language literacy and a sulingjar survey (learning environment survey).