Students hit books ahead of repeat exam

ID Nugroho, The Jakarta Post, Surabaya

Dust flies up from the chair as Gusti Ayu, wearing a T-shirt and old jeans, sits down. She looks exhausted.

"I am really tired because I have to take private lessons every day," she told The Jakarta Post at her house on Saturday.

Gusti Ayu Netty Christina is among 31,000 high school students who failed the national exam in June.

The students will have chance to retake the exam this Monday, which has come to be known among some of the students as Judgment Day.

"It is like a bad dream. I cannot afford to fail the exam again," said the student at the private Dharma Wanita high school in Surabaya.

In the exam in June, Gusti's mark in math was 3.33, far below the minimum passing score of 4.26.

She was embarrassed by the news that she had failed. "It was easy to face my family, but I could not see my friends."

However, she was far from alone in her embarrassment. Seventy- seven other students at her school failed the test.

Gusti said she would not waste this second chance. She has been taking private lessons since learning that she had failed the first exam.

"It is tiring but I have no choice. I know that this repeat exam will form the foundation for my future. While I failed the last exam, I hope this time it will work," said the 18-year-old.