Jakarta (The Jakarta Post: 11/07/06) The controversy over the government's national final examination for high school students continues to rage, with many observers, parents and students slamming the test as unfair. As evidence, critics point out that many of the students who failed the exam had good grades and were set to enter university. With the new school year about to begin, The Jakarta Post asked residents for their views on the issue.
 

Astri Wahyuni, 25, is a corporate social responsibility officer at a privately owned company. She lives with her husband in Kebayoran Lama, South Jakarta:

I don't fully agree with the government's policy on the final examination for high school students.
The high standards demanded by the national exam are not supported by a solid education system. Curriculums at schools differ and many of the schools in the country do not have decent supplies and materials.

If the government wanted to increase the standard of education by raising the standards of the national exam, it first should have set up the necessary support system.
As you can see, the reality is that a lot of students cannot meet the standards of the national exam because they are too high.

The government should understand that improving the quality of education cannot be done instantaneously.
The government has to fix the entire system, which will take a lot of time and effort. 

Untung, 48, is a civil servant. He lives with his family in Bojong Gede, Bogor:

I think the government should cancel the national exam. It does not benefit students. Instead it prevents students from achieving their dream of going to the University of their Choice, just because they did not pass the national exam.

Bright students that have already been accepted by universities have to take an equivalency exam, which costs parents a lot more money. I think the national exam and the equivalency exam were designed by the government just to make money.

If the government insists on holding national exams, they should increase the number of subjects that are tested. Three subjects limit the chances of a student to pass. There should be at least five to seven subjects tested.

There also should be an independent institution to hold the exams, like the ones in the United States that hold the SAT or TOEFL. Students entering university could enrol at the University of their Choice by showing their marks on these tests.