Teachers won't monitor exams

JAKARTA: Teachers will no longer be allowed to monitor national exams for vocational, junior and senior high school students; as of next year.

Based on a recently issued ministerial regulation, the National Education Standardization Agency will select the monitors from school committee members, the public and universities to ensure the objectivity of the outcome of the tests, the agency head Bambang Suhendro announced during a press conference.

The agency estimated that some 5 million students would take the final exams scheduled for the third week of May 2006. Those who miss the tests for health or other acceptable reasons will have to take it the following week.

National exams are free of charge and mandatory for students of state, private and Muslim schools, as well as local students attending international schools based in the country. There will be no make-up tests, so those who cannot show up must wait for the following year. -- Antara