University entrance tests begin nationwide

University entrance tests begin nationwide

YOGYAKARTA (JP): Gregorius Aryoko, one of tens of thousands of
applicants sitting the two-day state university entrance
examinations (UMPTN) had to do the test on Tuesday in bed, as he
was still under treatment for various diseases.

Aryoko, resident of Condong Catur, Sleman regency, has been
suffering from avian flu, in addition to dengue fever and typhus.

He has been treated for two weeks at Yogyakarta Pantirapih
Hospital but had to take the test as he wants to
continue his studies at state university.

"My son is obsessed in wanting to know more about his avian
flu, that's why he wants to become a vet and has chosen the
veterinary school at Gadjah Mada University as his second choice.
His first choice is electrical engineering," Aryoko's father,
Yanuardi who, along with his wife, watched his son doing the test
at Gadjah Mada University campus.

Beside Aryoko, the center of attention was on two blind
participants who did their test using braille.

Each of them was assisted by one person assigned by the
committee.

The blind participants in Yogyakarta might thank the
organizing committee of Group 45 as test sheets using braille
were made available.

In other cities like Bandung and Surabaya test sheets using
braille were not available. Blind participants were accompanied
by two assistants. One read the questions while the other one
wrote the answers given by the participants.

Most of the test sheets contained multiple choice questions.

"I could not understand Bahasa Indonesia very well," blind
Hazbullah, who hailed from Aceh, said after doing his tests at
the Bandung Institute of Technology.

In Surabaya, Totok Riyanto and M. Arwan, two blind
participants, both said they wanted to study at the State
University of Surabaya.

Another Surabaya-based participant Wiwik Eka Herawati, like
Aryoko in Yogyakarta, did the test in bed. She had just broken
one of her legs in an accident.

Drop

Nationwide, the number of students who joined this year's
entrance test dropped slightly by 1.8 percent to 464,858 students
from 473,402 in 2000.

Secretary executive of the central committee organizing the
test, Soesmalijah Soewondo, said, that this drop in the number of
participants could mean anything as only 73,000 seats are
available for them in the country's 52 state universities.

She said this drop could be because more high school graduates
have sought diploma or vocational programs offered by both state
and private universities or other institutions of higher
education.

They are able to finish such programs within one to three
years, while undergraduate programs would take them at least five
years.

The two-day test ends on Wednesday, though the result will
only be officially announced on Aug. 6.

In Jakarta, the number of students participating in this
year's test dropped by 10 percent, from 69,276 last year to
62,042.

In Yogyakarta, the number of participants slightly declined
compared to the previous year.

There are now 46,551 participants, while last year there were
49,554.

The capital of Central Java, Semarang, had a similar story.
The organizing committee said that 21,418 high school graduate
students took the tests. Last year there were 22,449 students.

In Surabaya, however, the number of participants decreased
from 34,539 last year to 33,500 this year.

The number of UMPTN in Bandung dropped by 7.2 percent, from
58,313 last year to 54,111 this year.

Rector of Soedirman University in Purwokerto told The Jakarta
Post that the number of high school graduates taking tests to
enter the university dropped to 9,497 this year from 10,090 last
year. "This is understandable as the grouping system means that
to enter Soedirman University a student must not take the test in
Purwokerto."

As many as 118 Indonesian students abroad and 11 foreign
students, also participated in this year's tests.

The foreign students consisted of one Japanese, five Iranians
and another five from Turkey.

Director general of higher education at the Ministry of
National education Satryo Sumantri Brodjonegoro said that foreign
students were not allowed to enroll in private universities in
Indonesia. "For state universities, they have to pay full
tuition, at a higher rate than their Indonesian fellow students
pay," he told the Post. (team)