Students show up for repeat exam
Students show up for repeat exam
The Jakarta Post, Medan/Semarang/Yogyakarta
Unlike last time, Astri Lidia answered every question given to
her on Monday, the first day of the three-day repeat national
final examinations.
The 18-year-old student of SMU Raksana Medan was one of
thousands of students across the country who got a second chance
after failing the national final examinations in June.
Astri, who hopes to continue her studies at a private
university in Bandung, West Java, was confident of doing well as
she had prepared herself by taking a crash course in the subjects
being tested.
"Not too bad. The first day's test was not as hard as the
previous examination. I feel certain that I can pass this time
around," she told The Jakarta Post after completing the test
which was held at SMUN 1 senior high school in Medan. The school
hosted the examination for 14 senior high schools in Medan.
Yustini Amnah, head of the National Examinations Supervisory
Board overseeing the repeat exams at SMUN 1, said 366 students
sat the repeat test.
The 366 students, she said, were grouped into three -- 143 sat
the Bahasa Indonesia test, 130 sat the English test and 93 sat
the math test.
On the first day, she added, all of the participants showed up
as scheduled. Those who missed the repeat exam, she said, could
still take part in another repeat exam scheduled for Aug. 29.
In Semarang, the test went smoothly although supervision was
not as tight as in the previous examinations.
At SMAN 6 senior high school, some of the 64 students taking
part in the repeat examinations were seen asking their friends
for answers.
"The repeat national final examinations went as scheduled. I
hope the participants use this opportunity to pass the test,"
said Central Java Education Office head Suwilan Wisnu Yuwono,
while observing the test at SMPN 2 junior high school.
In Semarang city, some 152,679 junior and high school students
took part in the repeat test.
Suwilan said the participants included those who had failed or
missed altogether the first national test.
In Yogyakarta, some 19,079 junior and high school students
showed up to sit the repeat test, the results of which will be
announced on Sept. 3.
According to Yogyakarta's national examination organizing
committee head Baskoro Adji, the repeat test carried the same
weight as the first test.
Many high school students failed their final examinations this
year. Their poor performance was blamed on the increased grade
required for a pass by high school students to 4.26 this year, up
from last year's 4.01, which the government introduced in a bid
to improve the quality of high school graduates.
The number of students who failed the exams the first time
around rose by almost 100 percent, with the highest failure rates
being recorded in conflict-prone and geographically isolated
areas.