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.