Universities set criteria for students

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta, Makassar

Due to limited space, state universities will admit only high school and vocational school graduates who passed not only admission tests but also the recent national examination.

Usman Chatib Warsa, coordinator of the Association of State University Rectors, said on Wednesday that the universities would adhere to the rule requiring students to produce their school certificates to be eligible to enroll.

He said the decision was made in response to a recent letter from the director general of higher education, who instructed state universities take note of students who failed the national final exams.

Out of 1.9 million senior high and vocational school students taking the recent national examination, 30 percent or more than 400,000 of them failed and may retake them again on Aug. 25.

Around 300,000 graduates of senior high and vocational schools took entrance tests on Wednesday for 90,270 placements in more than 1,720 study programs at 51 state universities nationwide.

Although placements have been increased by 10 percent from last year's figure, the number of students taking the test decreased by 10 percent from last year's 370,000.

Under the autonomy principle, some state universities held admission tests earlier this year, and accepted new students who could afford to pay the entrance and tuition fees.

Separately, Asman Budisantoso, who chairs the national selection test committee, asked senior high and vocational schools to rehold the final exams soon to enable students to obtain their certificates before the admission period concludes on Aug. 12.

Despite the agreement, Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University rector Azyumardi Azra said the university would extend its admission period to allow students to redo the exams.

The rector of Diponegoro University in Semarang, Eko Budiharjo, and Surabaya Institute of Technology rector Sugiono agreed to admit students who pass the second exam for the 2006 academic year.

Most senior high and vocational school graduates who chose to continue their studies are likely to do so at private universities, either locally or abroad.

The selection committee will also provide financial assistance to more than 3,200 poor but gifted students to take admission tests, while most state universities are offering scholarships.

In Makassar, three students were arrested for cheating on the tests when they were caught receiving test answers through cellular phone from friends.

A total of 18,600 graduates of senior high and vocational schools took the test to vie for around 5,400 places at Hasanuddin University and Makassar University.