West Java Education Agency Head Responds After Being Reported to Ombudsman Over 2026 Student Admission Controversy

Head of the West Java Education Agency Purwanto has spoken out after the agency was reported to the Indonesian Ombudsman over alleged maladministration in the implementation of the 2026 Prospective New Student Mapping (PCMB) and New Student Admission System (SPMB). Purwanto stated that filing a complaint with the Ombudsman is a public right guaranteed by the legal system. “We certainly welcome it if there is a complaint, we will just follow the process,” Purwanto said when met at SMK Negeri 1 Bandung, as reported by detikJabar on Monday (15/6/2026). Purwanto stressed that the West Java Education Agency will not avoid the Ombudsman’s process. If clarification or further examination is required, his office is ready to provide explanations in accordance with applicable regulations. “We follow the process because we are a state of law,” Purwanto remarked. Previously, the controversy surrounding the implementation of the 2026 West Java PCMB and SPMB entered a new chapter. A number of parents, together with education activists, reported the West Java Education Agency to the Indonesian Ombudsman. The report was filed after a series of problems marred the PCMB and SPMB rollout, ranging from application disruptions and a complaint process deemed slow, to an overwhelming flood of public grievances arriving in person at the West Java Education Agency office.