Pen and Paper Still Dominate National Exam in W. Sumatra Schools
Jakarta. Pen and paper still dominate in the national exam in West Sumatra high schools, the provincial governor said.
West Sumatra Governor Irwan Prayitno said the computer-based national examination (UNBK) has yet to be evenly implemented in the region due to budgetary constraints.
Of the 497 schools in the province, only 160 – or 31 percent – were able to take the computer-based exams.
The West Sumatra government aims to roll out the UNBK to all schools by 2018.
"There are several high schools in West Sumatra that have implemented the computer-based national examination. For example, of the 16 public high schools in Padang, there were only six [that have implemented the UNBK]. [The numbers from] other districts are similar," Irwan said on Monday (10/04).
Despite the setback with the full implementing of the UNBK, the number of high school students registering for computer-based tests has increased since last year.
The central government rolled out the UNBK program for high schools with adequate facilities in April, before expanding the program nationwide.
Education Minister Muhadjir Effendi said in January that schools lacking computer facilities can conduct exams at nearby schools that do have access.
"The examinations will not be simultaneous. It's not possible to have 100 percent [electronic testing] as schools in remote areas are still using paper," Muhadjir said.
Ministry data shows that only 12,023 of Indonesia's 97,647 schools were ready to use the UNBK in its initial stage.
The UNBK was implemented in 2015 as part of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's push to modernize the country's education system.
Watch Indonesia Highlights at 8 p.m. tonight on the Jakarta Globe News Channel and Facebook Live to find out more about the computer-based national school exam.
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