A

lthough the government has received a number of complaints related to allegedly illicit practices, regions have otherwise reported a relatively smooth implementation of the national exams for senior high school students starting on Monday.

As of Monday afternoon, the Culture and Education Ministry had received 17 complaints from various regions, eight of which were related to alleged leaks of material and answer keys in Sumatra and Java.

Ministry inspector general Daryanto told the press on Monday that the government was “careful” in investigating the reports because it was still unclear whether the alleged violations took place during the computer-based or paper-based tests.

“Those who reported to the ministry did not specify whether they found the practices in the computer-based or the paper-based tests. Basically there should be no cheating in the computer-based tests, as schools can only open the materials 30 minutes before the exams start,” Daryanto said.

When introducing the computer-based exams in 2014, the government was optimistic that the exams were not vulnerable to cheating, although annual reports, especially from the Indonesian Ombudsman, have shown that their implementation has yet to be free from malpractice.

This year also marks the third year the national exam scores will not used to determine students’ graduation. The government has introduced this year the national standardized school exams (USBN) to replace school exams after discovering that many schools had fabricated their scores to ensure graduation.

More senior high schools students nationwide are taking the computer-based tests this year, according to ministry, with Daryanto saying this showed that regions had become more aware in embodying technology in education.  

Some 1,145,341 students, 63.2 percent of total participants, are taking the computer-based exams, with Bangka Belitung, Yogyakarta and Jakarta the only three provinces implementing the computer-based tests in all schools in their regions.

There are fewer schools implementing the computer tests than conducting the paper-based tests. Students from poorly equipped schools, Daryanto said, were taking the computer-based tests in schools that had sufficient computer and electricity capacity, as well as adequate internet connections.

“Even schools in border and remote areas have said to the ministry that they were ready to implement the computer tests,” Daryanto said.

The national exams, meanwhile, have reportedly run well in regions. A lack of adequate infrastructure, however, continues to be a stumbling block for regions that are committed to implementing the computer-based exams in all of their schools.

Riau Education Agency head Kamsol said no glitch had been reported during the first day of exams, claiming that preparations had been made long before the implementation of the exams.

Kamsol, however, acknowledged that the province still lacked enough computers in order to implement the computer-based exams.

“Computer-based test implementation in Riau has been divided into three sessions due to a lack of computers,” Kamsol said.

In an effort to ensure the integrity of the exams, Kamsol said he was planning to make impromptu visits to a number of schools in Riau, in addition to the presence of Riau Ombudsman officials.

In Gorontalo, schools are borrowing laptops to ensure students can take the computer-based tests in 58 schools in the province.

“We’re borrowing laptops from teachers, and even from students themselves,” said Natalia Bagou, a teacher at the SMA 1 Gorontalo senior high school.