State college entrance test results announced

State college entrance test results announced

JAKARTA (JP): The organizing committee for the state-run
university entrance examination said less than 9.5 percent of
the 66,153 high school students in Jakarta applying for entry
into 49 state-run universities were accepted.

The results of the entrance examination for state-run
universities were released simultaneously at various places
throughout the country and announced in newspapers on Saturday.

"Only 6,232 students from Jakarta were admitted," said the
organizing committee, adding that there were a total of 61,580
successful applicants throughout the country.

Overall, a mere 14.8 percent of the nationwide total of
419,737 applicants were accepted through the annual, highly
competitive state-university entrance exams (UMPTN).

In Jakarta hundreds of senior high school graduates
participated in the traditional rite of flocking to the Senayan
sports complex early on Saturday morning to read the
announcements which were printed in 11 Jakarta-based newspapers.

Most reacted coolly and in a reserved manner as they futility
scoured the pages for their names.

"Disappointed? Not really, we all know there's a factor of
luck in all of this," Hadi Pramadi, a state-high school (SMAN 35)
graduate, told The Jakarta Post after failing to find his name.

The UMPTN, which took place simultaneously throughout the
country last month, screened eligible high school graduates
wishing to enter one of the 49 state-run universities. Only high
school graduates from the classes of 1992, 1993 and 1994 were
allowed to take this year's exam.

"As expected," was Dodi's answer as he walked away leaving his
paper on the ground when the Post asked him how he did. "I didn't
hold much hope before the UMPTN and I really wasn't expecting a
miracle this morning," said the SMAN 15 graduate.

In comparison to Dodi, Eka Maulana, who was accepted at the
University of Bengkulu in Bengkulu, said he was overjoyed and
couldn't wait to tell his parents.

"I'm trying to be calm because many of my friends here aren't
as lucky as I am, but actually inside I'm jumping with joy," he
said with a big smile.

In the past three years the number of students taking part in
the UMPTN has continually dropped from 479,709 applicants in
1991, 426,517 in 1992 to 422,696 last year.

The UMPTN is divided into three regions -- region A covering
Sumatra, West Kalimantan, Jakarta, and West Java has 19
universities, region B with Central Java, Yogyakarta, South and
Central and East Kalimantan has nine universities, and region C
with East Java, Bali, Nusa Tenggara, Sulawesi, Maluku and Irian
Jaya has 17 universities.

Region A had the largest number of applicants with 212,409,
followed by region C with 114,203 and region B with 93,127.

Private universities

When queried on their future plans many of the young people
said that they had already applied to one of the many private
universities in Jakarta.

"Next year I might not try again ... I don't think there's
much difference in the quality of a private and state-
university," remarked H. Yudianto who failed to get into the
School of Criminology of the University of Indonesia.

Many of Jakarta's privately-run universities currently offer
excellent educational facilities, albeit sometimes at a cost of
10 times the tuition of a state-run university.

Institutions such as Trisakti University require their
students to pay an entrance fee of up to Rp 7 million (US$3237),
while other institutions such as Pancasila University ask Rp 5.7
million.

Wiwit Widiantono, a member of the 1994 UMPTN organizing
committee, said this year the entrance committee received a
number of reference letters asking for a particular student to be
admitted.

"In my experience these references not only come from rich or
ranking officials only but also from ordinary people," he said.

Despite these references, the entrance committees cannot be
swayed because the system guarantees a fair and equal entry for
all to state universities, he said. (03/mds)