Indonesia's National Exam: How Much Pressure Can Students Take?
Anita Rachman | April 22, 2012

 A student takes the National Exam at High School 68, in Jakarta, on April 16, 2012. Some 2.5 million Indonesian students took the exam last week, but now some education officials are asking, how much pressure can Indonesia's high school students take? (JG Photo/ yudhi sukma wijaya)
If official expectations for this year’s national exam were high, so was the level of anxiety among students, a survey by the Education and Culture Ministry revealed on Friday.

As many as 78 percent of students told the ministry that they were anxious at the thought of taking the exam. Asked the same question using different wording,  74 percent of the students said they were worried they would not pass the exam.

The results of the survey would seem to confirm the criticism of educators and experts that the national exam puts too much stress on students.

While the ministry did not give an exact figure for the number of students it questioned for the survey, it said it spoke with 10 to 15 percent of the some 2.5 million high school and vocational school students who took the exam earlier this week.

Haris Supratno, an education expert and a former rector of the Surabaya State University, told the Jakarta Globe that students were worried because the national exam was not seen as a simple part of the learning process.

“The exam has become very political, with teachers, principals and local governments pushing students to get good scores for the reputation of the schools and the area,” Haris said. “National exams should be taken as part of the learning process, then students will feel at ease with it.”

With so much pressure on one test, cheating has become a major issue. Teachers have been part of the problem, with some encouraging students to cheat and distributing answers to help them get better results.

Critics have accused local governments of encouraging cheating because they want to brush up their image with a high pass rate.

The idea of stressed out students is not new, having been reported for years.  In 2008, a student in Kupang killed herself after failing the test.

“Local governments should stop politicizing the national exam. The test should be done like any other test,” Haris said.

But the education and culture minister, Mohammad Nuh, said that being anxious ahead of an exam was a normal part of life for students.

“Do not equate anxiousness with fear,” he said. “One is being anxious because there is a challenge, a pressure and a demand. Every student wants to pass the test. It is a challenge for them.”

He pointed out that the ministry’s study showed that 79 percent of the students  questioned said the national exam had made them study harder.

But for Deru Sutanto Hariadhy, a high school student at Jakarta’s SMAN 35, the anxiety is here to stay until the end of May, when the ministry announces the exam results.

“I am anxious, worried, before, during and after the test,” he said. “Well, not on all the subjects, just mathematics and economics. But yes, I am worried.”
COMMENT:   
In case, the national exam is good to know how far you know all about the subjects which they learn. But, the false if the national exam become a big worrier to many students because if they can’t pass the exam they can’t get their university. Not only that, if they are not get the high score in their national exam they are worried too, because their school push them to get the high score to up the reputation from that school. That is not fair, because of that the students do the exam under the presure. They can’t do the exam with enjoy. And because of that to, many case of cheating during the national exam. That is not a new issue again. I think that the national exam must be different for the next year. Tha national exam don’t be a key to graduate, because three days or four days for tha national exam can’t change three years process the student in their high school. Meaby many student not in good body condition when they do the exam so they can’t pass the exam well. Even the student is a great student in that high school. Or meaby, many student cheating during the national exam. So they are get the high score, but that score is not a pure score. They just be a lier, to other people and to themself. So meaby next time the national exam not like this time, meaby the student may choose the subjects which want to they do in their exam. If the national exam like that, I guess the students more enjoy to do that exam.