NATIONAL EXAMINATION,
NECESSARY OR NOT?
Education is the main thing for people those who
want to be success and having the edge on this global. In Indonesia itself,
education has become a significant thing that the government took an attention
to and it still been rounding by many problems and issues. Some problems that
appear in education world are students who do such a criminal and engage in a
gang fight, students who use narcotics, doing free sex, etc. In fact, the
problems are not only from the students; also it can be from the teacher,
school, and people those who were involved in education world. I take an
example, when the National Examination held; there are some teachers who do the
violation. They let the students doing cheating when the exam. In addition,
there are teachers who consciously give the answer key to their students. Such
condition is regularly happens; of course, by the reason in order their
students pass 100%. They do such this to protect their school’s name, because
if the students are failed; it is of course, school will be an attention of
public and its quality will be asked.
In Indonesia, one of the programs of the government
is doing final evaluation to the final students of primary and secondary school
over the entire Indonesia. This program is known by National Examination
(standardized test). It is held together over entire Indonesia, from Sabang
until Merauke. The central of making National Examination questions is in
Jakarta. Additionally, the questions sheet are sealed and guarded seriously by
police for its safety. This is of course to gain cheating for certain people
who want to break its seal and in order the questions are not be spread.
Actually, it will be distributed to the regions about some days before National
Examination held. It depends on how far the region from Jakarta.
National Examination is a formal program holding by
Central of Education Assessment to evaluate final students of elementary
school, junior and senior high school. However, as a program of evaluation,
National Examination has became a tight and scary thing for the students as it
is one thing that determine their pass, do they pass or not? For this reason,
many students are study hard. Indeed, some of them join the course outside
school schedule when they will face the National Examination. They compete to
take a best ever course in order getting a best knowledge and information.
However, there are not little too students who do not care about it. It means,
they do not feel any tight or scary to face National Examination and decide not
to take any course and study. Those are students who think and sure that they
will get and find the answer key when the exam latter. Their mind has been
looked by the believing that answer key will be spread every year National
Examination. This happens because the experience on the previous year. It has
been a usual thing that answer key will be spread. Moreover, in this modern
era, communication is very easy. The answer key can be easily spreading via
text message by hand phone. Additionally, the questions of National Examination
which are in multiple choice forms makes the answer key easier to spread. Can
you imagine, if the questions are in essay forms that need a long answer to
write? I am sure; the answer key will not be spread. But if it is so, it of
course will take much time to type the answer on the text message, and this
will be difficult for person who spreads it. Return to the multiple choice
form, it will also create a thought for students to guess the answer by
counting the dress button or by asking to others using certain action such as
body moving as touching some parts of body for a code and etc..
By applying National Examination as a determiner of
students’ pass, some problems appear on public, such as cheating which happens
and done by certain people who was not be responsibility. Every year National
Examination, cheating still happens. According to some news, in the year of
2012, National Examination still pulled with cheating. From Jakarta, Post of Complaining
National Examination received a thousand more report about National
Examination. But not all of it reported about cheating. Setiono said, “We have received 1.500 reporting. It is
categorized, 775 are the cheating report when exam”.[1] How
can it happen? There are two reasons for this question.
First is the emphasizing on product rather than
learning process. Consequently, product is the first aim to reach. Do you know?
When the product is regarded as the most important thing than process, everything
and everyway is done in order to get the highest score. In the other side,
National Examination is as if to be a lawyer to determine students’ future.
Their future education depends on their National Examination result. The fact
we can see is when the students will continue to the university. One of the
authorities of university to pass students into it is by looking their National
Examination result. Each university has its own criteria of the average result
of National Examination. This eventually emphasize students to have a high
score on National Examination. As a result, they do cheating without thinking
about the role and sin.
In the other side, National Examination which is
formed in multiple choices of course has only one answer to chose. Students do
not have any space to argument why they can answer and chose certain answer,
whether A, B, C, D or E. How if there is an answer of certain question needs to
be debated? To whom they will report their argument if they find more than one
answer for a question? Learning is actually done through a right process, doing
discussion, and something that emphasize students to thing and argue, not only
for choosing the answer.
The second is the result of National Examination
will affect the school reputation and its good name which includes the chief of
school and teachers in the sense of public. When reputation and good name be
the bet, everything will be done for it without thinking of any mistake. It has
been a usual thing, when a school has a high level of pass in National
Examination, public will think that it is a good school. Consequently, they
will register their child to that school. In the other hand, when a school has
a low level of pass in National Examination, public will think that school is
not good, and they will not register their child to that school. This is why
many schools do cheating in order their students pass, so they can attract
public attention to their school. Can you imagine if a school has a high level
of failed National Examination? It will affect the school reputation. We cannot
judge public sense that they will see the school quality based on what they
know about school’s level of pass in national examination. In addition, the
level of pass in National Examination will affect the number of students who
will register to that school.
In the conference which is held in Indonesian
Corruption Watch (ICW) office, Kalibata, South Jakarta, it was said that there
are two types of cheating which is done by certain people of education to
pretend the National Examination result.[2]
First is before National Examination by doing
“report washing” and change the scores of school exam. Moreover, in the morning
when National Examination held, the answer key was spread. It can be found by
purchasing answer key or by getting it from the superintendant, committee and
chief of school. The Minister of Education and Culture, Muhammad Nuh said,
reporting about cheating on National Examination received through telephone,
short text message, letter or email, and fax. The big number of report is about
leak of answer keys and selling and buying of questions.[3] Second
is after National Examination. There are certain people who change students’
answer sheet and fill in the blank answer that students do not answer.
Cheating that happens when National
Examination unconsciously has broken the students’ morality. Actually,
education is not only about transfer knowledge but also about moral ability.
kajak sikula hai aneuk mangat bèk rôh
jipeungeuet lé gob
kajak beuet hai aneuk mangat bèk rôh
kapeungeuet gob
bu beulele eungkôt beucut-cut
dônya beuna akhirat beutatuntut[4]
The spirit that includes in the Acehnese wise
expression above has two meanings which are very substantial on education, it
is knowledge and moral. Knowledge is the main thing on education. The more
knowledge people have the more he knows everything. However, knowledge without
moral is nonsense. Doing cheating in
National Examination is immoral thing. The students and whoever helps to spread
the answer key are actually doing the wrong thing. How smart and diligent
people they are, if they still do any cheating, their knowledge is non benefit.
National Examination has the advantages and disadvantages.
Here, I will give my opinion about it. First, I will talk about its advantages,
i.e.:
1. National Examination will illustrate the
condition of education in Indonesia generally. It means that the International
Institution of Education can know the condition of education in Indonesia
through National Examination.
2. National Examination will motivate
schools to compete in improving education quality. This means, school has to
show its best quality to the public.
3. National Examination also will motivate
teachers to improve their quality and competency to be a professional teacher.
4. National Examination will motivate
students to study hard in order they get a high score.
Besides
the advantages above, National Examination also has the disadvantages, there
are:
1. Standard of National Examination score
is same all over Indonesia, while the conditions of school, teacher, students,
tool, etc. are different in all regions. Is it balance when the school in
Pusong has the same standard of passing with favorite school in Langsa?
2.
Applying
National Examination as a requirement of pass will cause the bad competition.
It happens because National Examination still be standardization whether the
education in that school good or not. The high number of National Examination result
in the school or region still regarded as the illustration of education in that
school or region.
3. National Examination is a temporal assessment
but determine the pass. This is oppositely with the assessment based on the
class (PBK) which assess all aspect when teaching-learning process. Actually,
PBK more effective to determine pass because it held continuously.
So, the question
appeared. Is National Examination necessary or not? The answer can be variants.
Every head has its own opinion about it. To answer this question, I have
interviewed some students at Madrasah Ulumul Qur’an Langsa, they said:
1.
Gerqy Ardyo Jayusman: National Examination is
very important. The reason is that if National Examination be declined, how can
we get the diploma? Then if we have not diploma we cannot continue our study to
the higher level.
2.
Yudi Artha Nst.: National Examination is
necessary, because without it we will not get diploma and will feel difficult
to look for a job later. Additionally, National Examination is the authority of
the state, so we just follow the role.
3.
Rahmad Maulana: It is very important as it is the
final exam of all which determine whether we pass or not from the school.
Moreover, it is also one thing that determine us whether we are able to continue
study to the higher level?
4.
Nuzul Fitriansyah: it is necessary because
without it we will not get diploma and cannot continue studying to the higher
level.
5.
Rizki Alfira: it is important in order we get the
diploma as everyone, of course, want to get it with good score. And also in
order we know how well our skill during learning.
6.
Khairil Rizaldi: it is important as it is a
program to examine our skill in learning. In addition, how if there is student
who looks at answer key? If it happens, he will never know how far his ability
in answering question, because he only holds on answer key. Also it is a thing
that determines the pass. If we pass, we can and will continue to the higher
level of education.
Those are some opinions of some students.
Unconsciously, the students I interviewed were agreed that National Examination
is necessary and it is important. The conclusion of their opinion is that
National Examination is very important for them. Their reasons were almost the
same, it is to get the diploma, then can find a job and continue to the higher
level of education, and to know how far their ability and skill in learning
process. Their sense is not out from the use of National Examination where it
is as a tool to evaluate students and determine their destination, do they pass
or not.
There are many cases
that a student in his daily teaching-learning activity has a good result,
smart, and always gets firs ranking in the class. But, when he follows National
Examination, he is failed. In the other hand, a student who was not smart,
always get bad score in class, and never get ranking, is pass the National
Examination. When this case happens, who is the right and who is the wrong? We
cannot judge either the smart student or the stupid student. This is what some
people said that pass or failed in National Examination is a lucky or fortune.
However, the success in
education is related to the teacher, parent, and public. These three elements
are took a part to reach the ideal aim. First is teacher. As a person who
always there where students in the school, teacher should be a model for them.
It is of course as a good model. Teacher has to teach the student patiently and
lovely, transfer knowledge plus moral. So, when they transfer their knowledge
to the students, they should actually insert the moral thing in the
teaching-learning process. Teacher also has to apply a thought that cheating
when National Examination is forbidden. Nevertheless, the students have to
study hard and prepare themselves to face it.
Next is parent. The
role of parent toward their child is more needed than teacher. Because the
first teacher in our life is our parent, she is mother. As parent, they should
teach their child everything good. Then, when they heard that there is any
problem about their child, they should check and recheck to the school.
Forbidden for them to judge the teacher in one side, but they must check and
find out the cause of the problem. Moreover, the problem is better to be solved
in a better way. And for National Examination, parent have to encourage their
child to study and if they able, it is better if they give a chance for their
child to take a course outside the school.
The last is public.
Public also took a part as thing that help students to reach their aim of
study. They were involved to keep the process of education. For instance, when
they look a student fights with his friend, they should to stop it, and solve
the problem between the two students. So, what is the role of public when
National Examination? Public should keep the secure and the comfort around
them, especially who lives near the school in order students who follow
National Examination can focus on their exam.
Although there are
still many pro and contra about National Examination, however and whatever it
is, National Examination has become a strategy of many strategies that
government does to improve quality of education in Indonesia. But, it should be
better if it done sincerely by the students and the teacher should be
professional in this exam. So, when all of the students pass the exam, we will
say happily, it is happened because the teachers are having a good quality and
they are professional in teaching.
To conclude, National
Examination is important, but doing it sincerely is more important. As I talked
above that moral is very important thing in education. And sincerity is one of
morals that we must to have it and contribute it in the study, in demanding
knowledge. For this academic year, National Examination will be holding on
April 2013. We will see later, is it still colored by cheating or not? Let the
time to answer this question.
REFERENCES
-
Azwardi.
“Transfer Knowledge plus Moral Ability.” Atjeh
Times (3-9 Sept. 2012): C.1
- Wulandari, Novaeny. “Menteri Terima 245 Aduan
Kecurangan Ujian Nasional.” KBR68H.
www.tribunnews.com
(accessed 16 September 2012)
-
Lubis,
Anggraini.“UN 2012 Masih Penuh Kecurangan.” Waspada. April 29, 2012.
[1] Anggraini Lubis, “UN
2012 Masih Penuh Kecurangan,’ Waspada, April 29, 2012, www.waspada.co.id
(accessed 16
September 2012).
[2] Nurmulia
Rekso Purnomo, “Tiga Jenis Kecurangan UN SMP,” Tribun News, April 26, 2012,
www.tribunnews.com
(accessed 16 September 2012)
[3] Novaeny Wulandari, “Menteri Terima 245
Aduan Kecurangan Ujian Nasional,” KBR68H, April 17, 2012, www.kbr68h.com
(accessed 16 September 2012).
[4] Azwardi, “Transfer
Knowledge Plus Moral Ability,” Atjeh
Times, 3-9 Sept. 2012, C.4
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