Rising Cheating in UTBK 2026, DPR Member: Betrayal of Honesty Values

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Member of Commission X of the DPR, Muhammad Hilman Mufidi, has highlighted the rampant cheating occurring in the 2026 Computer-Based Written Examination (UTBK). According to him, cheating in the examination process will affect the quality of graduates and betray the values of honesty in the world of education. “Cheating in SNBT is not just a violation of rules, but a form of betrayal of honesty values in education. If left unchecked, this practice will continue to recur and damage the system as a whole,” said Hilman in his statement on Thursday (23/4/2026). He also urged the imposition of strict sanctions on UTBK participants proven to have cheated. “We strongly condemn all forms of cheating in the implementation of UTBK SNBT. This exam is not merely a selection, but a gateway to higher education that must maintain its integrity. Never attempt to cheat, because the impact is not only on the exam results, but also on character building,” Hilman stressed. He reminded that cheating in UTBK would have serious consequences for the nation’s generation. “Success achieved with honesty will be far more meaningful and become a strong foundation for the future. Do not mortgage the future just to pass by cheating,” Hilman stated. On the first day of the 2026 UTBK implementation (Computer-Based Written Examination), Tuesday (21/4) in the first session, cheating attempts by participants were already discovered. The SNPMB committee revealed this through a press conference broadcast live on the YouTube channel of Kemendikbudristek. “This morning until 09.00 WIB, we have received information on various types of cheating attempts by UTBK participants at several UTBK Centres,” said the General Chairman of the 2026 SNPMB Responsible Team, Eduart Wolok, at the UTBK Central Media Centre, State University of Jakarta (UNJ). “The first one we found was cheating at the UTBK Centre of Universitas Sulawesi Barat (Unsulbar). The cheating involved indications of wanting to use aids. So these aids were hidden in clothing and so on, and alhamdulillah, we could detect them,” he continued. “We found an attempt at proxy-taking by substituting participants. So deliberately, the same person who took UTBK 2025 participates again in 2026 with a different name for the participant. So the person is the same, taking the exam in 2025 and 2026 for two names. This is definitely a proxy substituting,” Eduart explained. He said this proxy trick could be known from evidence from last year that was developed in the investigation. Again, there were two women whose participant data was shown by the committee. In addition, cheating was also found at Universitas Negeri Surabaya (Unesa), Universitas Diponegoro (Undip), Universitas Negeri Malang (UM), Universitas Airlangga (Unair), and UPN Veteran Jawa Timur.