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Riau schools freed from ban
Dozens of elementary school principals in Riau are likely to be relieved as their schools are no longer banned from holding the national examination in May, following the school accreditation body's decision Wednesday to permit the schools to apply to renew their accreditation
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ozens of elementary school principals in Riau are likely to be relieved as their schools are no longer banned from holding the national examination in May, following the school accreditation body's decision Wednesday to permit the schools to apply to renew their accreditation.
Principal Masri Yorda of the SD OO1 Lima Puluh elementary school, a popular school earlier banned from holding the examination due to its failure to renew its expired accreditation, said he had been stressed by the previous ban.
"I can't imagine what people will say if the school's top students have to sit the test at another school," he told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.
Principal Siti Jamilah, from the SD 012 Senapelan in Riau, said she cried when taking part in a meeting organized by the accreditation body to discuss the ban.
"I was just promoted as school principal when the problem hit. I'm afraid people will accuse me of being incapable," said Siti, who has been in the job for only six days.
The accreditation body agreed Wednesday to extend the time for the schools to submit the required documents.
"The problem is solved; the school will immediately finish the accreditation process. There's no need for the parents to worry," Masri said.
The accreditation body's secretary, Raja Ramli Ibrahim, said dozens of the schools would be allowed to hold the examination if they applied for accreditation by the second week of February at the latest.
"We don't want to be accused of being too stiff in implementing the law since those schools had previously been accredited."
In Kudus, Central Java education observer Martinus Basuki Sugita urged the government to revise several rules related to the national examination to prevent violations.
"The examination is always disrupted by violations conducted by those in the education system themselves, like teachers," Basuki, who is also a principal of SMP Keluarga Kudus junior high, told the Post on Wednesday.
He said the regulations were intentionally violated to ensure a smooth examination process.
Among the violations was allowing teachers to supervise the examination.
