TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Ministry of Research, Technology, and Higher Education claimed that it has no problem with the Ministry of Education and Culture's plan to erase the National Exam (UN).
Minister of Research, Technology, and Higher Education Mohamad Nasir admitted that National Exam have always been one of the grading components for students to be eligible for higher education. "But the National Exam only contributes to a small percent of university application requirement," Nasir said on Monday, December 5, 2016.
Because of its small percentage, according to Nasir, removing the National Exam will not have a significant effect on the college student application process.
Nasir added that removing the National Exam would allow a more objective grading system for college applicants. Nasir said that his ministry would discuss the plan's details with the University Rectors Assembly.
Minister of Education and Culture Muhadjir Effendy, said that the National Exam was initially set as a tool for national-scale school mapping. Meanwhile, Muhadjir said that currently, around 30 percent of schools in Indonesia have scored above the national standard based on its integrity score and academic score.
"There are 30 percent of schools that have above-average integrity and academic score. If that is the case, why do they have to participate in the National Exam? Why would they need to be mapped again? That's unnecessary," Muhadjir said.
In response to the plan, Muhammad Zen, a member of the Education Commission from the Central Java Regional Representatives Council, said that the government should not make a hasty decision. Zen regretted the fact that the central government had announced the plan before making the decision, “causing polemics and public concern.”
ROFIUDDIN
