The Central Java provincial administration had to postpone a makeup equivalency exam, or Package C test program, for 26,445 senior high school students who failed the final national exams in April.
Central Java education agency head Kunto Nugroho said Wednesday the three-day makeup exam, which should have started on Tuesday, was rescheduled for July 1 to 4, pending the deliveries of exam sheets from Jakarta.
He said the administration actually had prepared everything for holding the makeup test as scheduled but a lack of exam papers had become a vital constraint.
"We coordinated with the National Education Ministry. The result is that all exam papers will be supplied by the central *government*."
However, Kunto said the Package A program (an equivalency test for elementary students) and Package B (an equivalency test for junior high students) would remain scheduled for June 1 to 3.
The results of these exams will be announced in August.
The Package A and B test programs will see 2,830 participants and 15,279 participants, respectively, according to the Central Java education office.
Diplomas obtained from the makeup tests will have same authenticity as academic certificates issued as a result of the national final exams.
Meanwhile, East Kalimantan Governor Awang Faroek Ishak publicly expressed his concern over a drop in percentage of senior high students passing the national exams.
"I will coordinate with related institutions to anticipate such an incident from reoccurring next year."
The East Kalimantan education agency reported 19,813 senior high school students passed the national exams this year, accounting for 91.5 percent of the total 21,658 participants in the province. Last year the pass rate hit 98 percent.
At the junior high level, 46,426, out of 47,541 students managed to pass the final exams, recording a 97.65 percent pass rate.
Agency head Syafruddin Pernyata blamed the failing increase on the central government's decision to raise the minimum pass grade from 5.25 in 2008 to 5.50 this year.
| 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|