High School National Examination

National School Examination is considered to be the main indicator of student’s competence in Indonesia.

The word “national examination” will always remind me of my experience last year. The teachers - especially the school master - bombarded us with reminders that we must work hard since I joint my third year class. The teachers even had regular meetings with our parents in order to “push” us to work harder and harder. At home I heard my father complain about how the school scared us. “They don’t really care about the students, they only care about the prestige of the school”, said my father. My world is shaped into extra-school lessons and try-outs. No time for fun!

Last year, the national examination was set only for three subjects: Bahasa Indonesia, mathematics, and English. The rest of curriculum’s exam conducted by each school. Since our competence will be only decided on those three subjects, we tend to focus our effort on those subjects. Other subjects are not that important for the total national exam score. We all know that competence of the students is not appropriate if only measured by the national exam score.

This year government changes its policy of high school examination. The subjects for national exam have increased from 3 to 6 subjects. The IPA students should also pass physics, biology and chemistry besides Bahasa Indonesia, mathematics, and English. I could not imagine how tense the students were.

From the news I also learn how strict the local government carries out the exam. Not only education employees being busy, but they also ask help from security personnel - especially national police - to guard the examination papers from the distribution center to each school. The police also present at the school-gate examining students ID card. The Jakarta Post (April 23, 2008, collum 1-2) report that the first day of three-day nationwide exams for senior high school and vocational students ran smoothly. But as we all read from newspapers, most of the students complains about how difficult it was, especially mathematics and physics. Some students were even so desperate so they cried.

With all this condition, I think that national school examination will more look like a terror for the students than a test how they mastered all the subjects during school days, not even an indicator of a complete competence as a high school graduate.

Siti Amalia Hasnida

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