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View all search resultsBandarlampung senior high school student Evi Maryanti left her classroom in a rush
andarlampung senior high school student Evi Maryanti left her classroom in a rush. After completing one round of the national examination Thursday, the 17-year-old had to be home by 3 p.m. to study with friends for the final test day Friday.
Evi also took final national examination preparation courses, which cost her father Rp 2.5 million (US$268) a month.
"I've been taking the course since the 10th grade," she said.
The bright student still worried she would fail just like many of her seniors, including a top student, who was already selected to attend the Bogor Institute of Agriculture but failed at the national exam.
"She moved to South Sumatra because she was so ashamed of her failure. I don't want to be like her," Evi said.
"So my friends and I are studying hard day and night to pass."
Reports on the exam's leaks further stressed her out.
A number of exam participants in Bandarlampung have acknowledged receiving text messages with exam answers since last Sunday, or a day before the start of the five-day national exam.
Some, like Evi, ignored the text messages, but were still nervous of making the wrong move.
"I'm afraid the answers will be wrong," Evi said.
Parents, teachers, school principals and officials also felt the pressure.
Parents were worried that their children would fail and teachers were afraid to be scolded by the principals, who did not want to be reprimanded by the local education officials who would also be blamed by the mayor or regent if many students failed the exam.
"The pressure, and apprehension, prompted corrupt practices in schools, such as teachers helping students do the exams by providing answer sheets," said Dino Vanolie, secretary at the Indonesian Teachers Dignity Forum (PMGI).
He said this year's final national exam for senior high school was marred with leaks that were hard to prove since they involved teachers and school principals.
"Most of the leaks took place at schools located in remote parts since they are virtually out of the reach of journalists, police and independent monitoring teams."
Gino said indications of exam fraud could be noticed from the time students took to complete their tests. And in remote areas, the fraud was carried out openly, such as teachers dictating answers and sending them via text messages, he added.
"Many students do the tests for only between 15 and 20 minutes. We have found the evidence and listed schools resorting to fraud. We have coordinated with the police to follow up with the evidence on the alleged fraud."
Head of the Lampung supervisory committee for the senior high school national exam, Hasriadi Mat Akin, urged the forum to report the fraud to the police.
Meanwhile in Medan, North Sumatra, the police on Friday named five people as suspects responsible for the leak for the national exam.
Chief of Medan Police Sr. Comr. Imam Margono said the leaks were allegedly started by M. N., a printing member of staff in Percut Sei Tuan district in Deli Serdang regency. He stole the test's papers and sold it to other suspects to be sold to students.
"The suspects were selling the test papers for between Rp 1 million and Rp 4 million," Imam told The Jakarta Post.
He said the suspects were apprehended following reports from the Air Mata Guru Community.
However, the police could not yet confirm the community's investigation, which cited that 90 percent of schools in Medan were involved in leaking the text's papers.
In Medan, students went to the streets to mark the end of the national exam Friday.
Student Ray Nasution of SMAN 4 senior high school was relieved to have completed the test amid the high pressure.
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