Sangsi dengan Janji Ujian Nasional Rasa Baru

·14 min·1 clip

The national exam returns in 2025 despite past scandals, with Minister Abdul Muti promising a revised version that avoids old pitfalls.

The episode reports on Indonesia's plan to revive the national exam in November 2025 for high school students, following its deletion in 2021. Minister of Basic Education and Middle School Abdul Muti promises a revised concept that avoids past negative impacts, such as not using the term 'exam' and not making it a graduation determinant. The KBR team summarizes views from educational activists, with reporter Astri Yuwanasari presenting the findings. Iwan Pranoto, a senior ITB math teacher, criticizes the government's rapid policy change, arguing education direction should be difficult to alter, like a ship's course, and suggesting five-year delays for changes. Retno Listyarti, chairman of the FSGI expert committee, firmly rejects the exam's return, noting over 70% opposition due to past issues like student stress and fraud practices such as selling answer keys. Historical context is provided, recalling scandals during President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's era, including army involvement to control tests and persistent cheating. Iwan Pranoto also points out the unfairness of a single national test across Indonesia's diverse regions, from Java to remote areas like Rote Island, due to uneven infrastructure and teacher quality. The episode mentions a 2006 legal challenge that reached the Supreme Court, with a decision requiring improved teacher quality before any exam revival. Retno Listyarti recalls this, noting the government's failure to significantly improve teacher quality over 15 years. Concerns are raised about the exam undermining the zonation system, which aims to balance education quality and has shown benefits for poor students in research. In contrast, PGRI secretary-general Dudung Abdul Kodir presents survey results showing 96.5% support from parents, teachers, and students across 34 provinces, with reasons including motivating study, building integrity zones, and student transformation. Dudung acknowledges past weaknesses but advocates for fixes, such as an independent oversight body. Iwan Pranoto criticizes the motivation argument, suggesting exams should focus on goals like promoting STEM love. Education officer Haidar Bagir doubts the link between exams and motivation, questions redundancy with existing tests like SNBT, and supports improving current policies over reviving the exam. The episode concludes by emphasizing the complexity of improving education quality without shortcuts.

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from News Wrap Up