Senior high school final exams

Senior high school final exams

From Kompas

The Ministry of National Education has finally instituted,
despite strong protests from the public, national senior high
school final examinations.

I'm one of those who don't think that these national
examinations are of any use as a school leaver who has sat and
passed these examinations and wants to enroll in a state
university will still be required to sit a matriculation
examination. This means simply that the national senior high
school final examinations are only good for obtaining a senior
high school diploma.

If the national senior high school final examinations are
really intended to show the quality of school leavers, then a
state university need only set standard grades and no longer
require a senior high school graduate to sit a matriculation
examination. The school of medicine, for example, would accept
only school leavers from the natural sciences stream with a grade
point average of eight, while the school of social and political
sciences would accept only those from the social sciences stream
with a grade point average of 7.9. Those who fail to meet these
requirements could apply for places in private universities.

Only in this way would the national senior high school final
examinations actually be worth anything, with students being
encouraged to study hard so as to get good grades.

WIEKE DWIHARTI

Jakarta