T

he Central Information Commission (KIP) ruled on Tuesday that the answer keys for the national examinations is public information and that the Education and Culture Ministry should make them available to Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) for investigation purposes.

Ahmad Alamsyah Saragih, the Central Information Commission Chairman said on Tuesday, 'The answer keys for mathematics and natural science exams as requested by the petitioners are open for the public.'

In July 2012, the ICW submitted a request to the Central Information Committee (KIP) to require the ministry to fully disclose the answer keys for mathematics, natural science and English for the junior high school exam.

According to the ICW, a junior high school teacher reported systematic misconduct during last year's exams, and gave the ICW the answer keys that were circulating among the students as evidence.

The ICW requested the Education and Culture Ministry disclose the original copy of the answer keys to confirm their findings.

The ministry rejected their request, saying that they would not be able to use the same exam materials in subsequent years should they be made available to the public.

The ministry said the answer keys could only be made available to the public when the national curriculum was fully renewed and the material would not be used again.

The ICW decided to bring the dispute to KIP in July 2012. Due to the long process of verification, the first hearing started in April this year. KIP could not grant their request to open the English answer key, as the ICW did not specifically state the correct code for the exam in their application.

Febri Hendri of the ICW said that the decision by KIP would be beneficial to the investigation on yet more leaks in this year's exam. The ICW have received a report from a whistle-blowing student at SMK Widuri vocational high school in Jakarta, about a leak in this year's exam.

According to the whistle-blower, students received text messages from their school telling them to arrive at school at 6 a.m., 1.5 hours prior before the exam. School officials then gave the students answer keys, and demanded Rp 30,000 (US$3.06) per student, 'to renovate a mosque'.

'The ministry said there was no leak during the national exams. If the answer keys match, we can prove there was a leak. The ministry should see this as a positive to improve future exams,' Febri said.

Education and Culture Ministry spokesman Ibnu Hamad said that they would deliver KIP's verdict to the minister and announce their response in 14 days.