Jakarta (Suara Pembaruan: 01/07/06) Various arguments have been presented in the debates concerning the passing grade in the recent national examination. Each side presents different framework with very varied paradigms. It seems absurd to hear an education expert saying that it is not yet the time for us to discuss about graduates’ quality.  Such an opinion give an impression that the entire national examination participants shall graduate or in other words no examination is needed therefore there’s no need to set a standard. Even though a standard is needed to obtain a better quality.

Over a decade ago, education officials have drawn up a strategy to determine the quality of graduates. It is unclear when we will see the result, because so far, we are still busy debating about the output quality of the national examination.

Or maybe, the process to draw up the output quality has not been accomplished yet. So, what is the National Education Standard Agency (BSNP) is doing if it could not give the correct information concerning the graduation standard and, in consequences, it has drawn protests from students who failed to graduate.
It seems that we should question the BNSP’s assumptions to determine the standard. Why does the BSNP insist on setting the high school passing grade at 4.5.

We have to draw up a strategy inside the jungle of education quality, like a diplomat of the National Education Minister. Continuous diplomacy is needed to inform the public on the strategic objectives of education. Maybe we need an “education diplomat.”

Standard, quality, and the objective of education, is an inseparable series to achieve a certain quality of education. Everywhere in the world there are many opinions concerning the objective of education. Through Socrates, West Europe believes that education is a development process of human beings towards wisdom, knowledge, and conduct.

Meanwhile, conservative groups believe that the intellectual virtues are assigned the highest rank in the hierarchy of virtues. Meanwhile, the liberals’ philosophy is aimed at creating human life in freedom. This philosophy is based on principle that the child can do no wrong, all the form of education should support children’s scientific needs and natural desire.

American version is more specific, it requires 4 basic categories in education process, namely, self realization, human relationship, economic efficiency, and civic responsibility. In this version, the economic dimension starts to occur.

The objective of education should be built in line with a reference standard set to determine the required output. We have to be careful in setting the standard in order to be able to obtain a representative quality of the final result. 

"Terminating Policy''
Quality of graduates always prompts debate. Many people believe that a MULO graduate in the Dutch colonial era possessed a better skill and knowledge compared to Junior High School graduates nowadays. So as the university graduates. Most of us indeed always question the quality of education result which is reflected in the quality of human resources produced.

Meanwhile, the education management process which determines the result remains neglected. One of the tools that can be applied to support the quality is ISO 9001quality management system. The scope is determined after mapping the process, both in service or administration quality system.

This scope will result in how education management could be arranged in a systematic timely administration with an exact quantity and quality. We have discussed this ISO 9001-based education quality management system process in a column (see, i.e., Yupiter Gulo/A Hamdani: Scrutinizing University Quality System, Suara Pembaruan May 1, 2006).

There is a link between management policies and graduation standard. Employment of management standard using process approach has been proven to be more reliable to produce a quality insurance system. Assessment of a secondary school graduate is whether or not he or she deserves to pursue higher education. Not more than that.

BSNP said Senior High School passing rate is 92.50 % this year, a significant increase compared to last year’s 80.76 % (2005), with a passing grade set at 4.50. However, no one ever mention about schools’ education management standard.

The BSNP employed statistical figures to claim a quality improvement in high school. That’s the nature of statistic, easy to be employed by anyone playing in the interest game. Even Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) has predicted that there are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.

Is the 4.5 standard set by the BSNP based on research / polling according to the need of the users/clients? As we know, quality is to serve clients’ interests. As an example the ISO 9000 standard is set very cautiously and carefully. 

Quality, according to ISO 9000, is a combination of nature and character, to determine how far the output could meet clients’ need. Thus, if the graduation standard is set unilaterally by the BSNP, it means that it has been using the statistic to tell lies to the public.

Benjamin Disraeli is true with this lie tragedy. Thus the BSNP is indeed have been trapped in an interest game pattern. Of course we understand, the objective of this interest game is maintaining the national examination continuously.

This is important for those who reap benefit from this project, both secretly and openly. If it‘s true, then we want more than reviewing policy or reformulating policy, but terminating policy. Maybe we need a diplomat who is able to bridge the quality and the objective of our education.

By: Yupiter Gulo (Managing Executive Partner) and A Hamdani (ISO 9001 Consultant)
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