[Kabar-indonesia] 463, 000 Indonesian students take equivalency exams

[Joyo at aol.com]

The Jakarta Post 
Tuesday, August 29, 2006

Thousands of students take equivalency exams

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta, Bogor, Yogyakarta

This week, some 463,000 school-age students will get a chance to either 
continue to a higher level of education or find a job.

Across the country, the students from elementary school to high school level 
are sitting equivalency exams, with around 60 percent of that number those who 
failed the national exams in May.

The rest are participants in non-school programs from elementary to 
high-school level.

Despite protests from failed students, the government has refused to continue 
remedial exams and students instead must sit the equivalency tests.

Protesters have said the tests are easier than the national exams and are not 
respected by employers or universities, while the government claims they are 
on the same level.

The exams run Monday to Saturday for all three levels. Most of the 
participants are the 245,510 students registered for the junior high level "packet B" 
tests, followed by 201,176 students taking the high school level "packet C" 
test, and 16,541 sitting the elementary school-level "packet A" exams.

In Yogyakarta, Driyanto Kusuma, 15, sitting "packet B" said if he did not 
pass, his parents, who sell rice, could lose the more than Rp 4 million (about 
US$438.5) they had spent on entrance fees for a private high school. Depending 
on the school's policy, all or part of the fees are non-refundable in the event 
of a cancellation.

"I really hope to pass, or else I will be idle for a year," he said Monday.

Driyanto told The Jakarta Post he had attended private lessons, "and I've 
been diligently praying too".

In Jakarta, a total of 8,725 people sat an equivalency test held Monday by 
the Jakarta Education Agency.

Agency head Margani Mustar said the attendance for the test had increased 
dramatically. In previous years only around 2,000 to 3,000 took the test, he said.

Based on annual average figures, around 60 percent of the participants who 
joined the packet C test passed, he said.

In Bogor, a similar test was also held for 273 adults who wanted to graduate 
from senior high school.

These exams are scheduled from Monday till Thursday.

For those looking to obtain elementary and junior high school graduate 
certificates, the Bogor education agency planned to hold exams from Thursday till 
Saturday.

One of the exam participants, Arif, said he had to take the tests because he 
failed in the national exams.

"I hope I can get a certificate so I can apply for a job. I don't want to go 
to university or other higher education, I just want to help my parents," the 
18-year-old said.

Jakarta has 600,000 jobseekers according to 2004 figures. Nationwide, there 
are some 40 million unemployed, including those who are underemployed and 10 
million without any work, according to last year's figures. 

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Joyo Indonesia News Service
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