SPMB Closes, Hundreds of Prospective Students in Mataram Still Without School Places

The New Student Admission Selection (SPMB) process for primary and junior secondary schools in Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara, has officially closed. Hundreds of prospective students in the area have yet to secure a school place.

"There are hundreds. We are currently recapping how many have re-registered at their respective schools, so we can then determine the next policy steps," said the Head of the Mataram Education Department, Yusuf, when contacted on Thursday (9/7/2026).

Yusuf explained that the accumulation of applicants at favoured schools is one of the main reasons many prospective students remain without a place. Consequently, the department plans to direct these students to schools that still have available capacity. "We will shift them to schools with fewer pupils," Yusuf added.

Yusuf stressed that the Mataram City Government cannot increase the capacity of seats or study groups, as the data for each school has been locked by the central system. To accommodate the students who have not yet been placed, Yusuf will wait until the deadline for determining the Basic Education Data (Dapodik), which is expected to be finalised in August 2026. "We will try to find a solution through the SPMB evaluation. We will convey the results later," he concluded.

According to data from the Mataram Education Department, registrations for the 2026/2027 academic year were concentrated in favoured schools located on Jalan Pejanggik, Mataram, including SMPN 2 Mataram, SMPN 1 Mataram, and SMPN 6 Mataram on Jalan Udayana.