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Students, parents strategize for school admissions
Objection: Officers handle complaints from students’ guardians about school enrollment at the PPDB Online Service Post at SMA 68 state senior high school in Central Jakarta on Tuesday
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bjection: Officers handle complaints from students’ guardians about school enrollment at the PPDB Online Service Post at SMA 68 state senior high school in Central Jakarta on Tuesday. The post handles various demands to fix data input errors made during online school enrollment for elementary schools, junior high schools, senior high schools and vocational high schools.(JP/Dhoni Setiawan)
The three days for school registration have seen parents and students shift from panic to strategizing as best they could to enable students to get into state junior and senior high schools.
Although the zoning policy aims to end elitism, parents and students still sought out popular schools dominated by top performers. Despite protests, the government has insisted on retaining the zoning policy to ensure access to education for all students. However, the policy in many provinces, including Jakarta, still takes into account national examination scores, forcing applicants to anxiously monitor their chances.
By Wednesday 5 p.m. many were relieved to have gained entry through the zoning policy, which recruits 60 percent of new students. The general track for students outside the zone, where top scorers compete, makes up 30 percent; 5 percent is for students with national or international prestige such as top athletes, while the rest is for transfer students.
“Thank God I got my first choice,” said student Basel Onn who lives in Kebagusan, Pasar Minggu, South Jakarta. He was accepted onto the social science program at SMA 28 state senior high school in Pasar Minggu. Basel had wanted to go to SMA 39, Pasar Rebo in East Jakarta, which he said was convenient to reach by motorcycle. However, as he had to choose the closest school, his elder sister advised him to select SMA 28.
Students with very high national exam scores can apply on July 2 through the general track for schools outside their zone.
Agnes M., a parent who came to SMA 8 in South Jakarta, said she would wait for the general track as her daughter’s national exam score was 39.1 out of 40. Her family lives in Pondok Kopi, East Jakarta, outside the school’s zone and a 30 minute drive by car. She felt sure that if her daughter, Keisya Dianingrat, opted for a school within her zone, she would be accepted; however once accepted, students cannot change their option.
“I don’t mind waiting until July 2,” said Keisya. She said she believed studying at SMA 8 would push her to work harder amid other high performers.
Another student, Prasetya, said he had settled for his second choice.
“I wanted to get into SMA 77, a renowned school in Cempaka Putih, Central Jakarta,” he said. However he was accepted at SMA 5, which is nearer to his home in Sunter, North Jakarta. He added his national exam score was lower than other applicants at SMA 77.
His mother, Diah Sekarwangi, did not want Prasetya to wait for the general track for students in case he would lose out to other applicants with higher scores. This year, the Education and Culture Ministry is applying a stricter zoning policy compared to earlier systems introduced since 2016. Glitches in the system triggered anger last week such as in West and East Java.
Parents had reported children failing to get into schools despite their homes being fairly near to the schools as the zoning policy requires, and the perceived unfairness of the system as high performing students could not enter coveted schools.
Parents and students who chose to register on the first day through the state school enrollment (PPDB) system thought admissions were based on registration time. This motivated parents to register as early as possible, egged on by equally misinformed teachers.
“One parent even queued at the school from 11 p.m. the night before,” said Anwar Farid ,deputy of the PPDB committee from SMA 68, Salemba, among the popular schools in Central Jakarta.
Some sought out first-hand information from the schools. Devi Rizka Ardini, 22, accompanied her younger sister to apply for a senior high school on Monday and asked for information on the zoning policy directly from the registration committee.
Her sister, Bintu Salma, residing in Cempaka Putih Barat, Central Jakarta, said she was surprised that her selected school was not in her zone despite it being close to her home.
“I wanted to go SMA 21, Pulogadung in East Jakarta, but days before the PPDB was to open, the school was taken out from my area,” Salma said. She then selected SMA 77, which is in her zone, but average applicant scores were higher than hers. She was still considering to apply for SMA 21 through the general track, as she expected applicants for SMA 21 would have lower scores than SMA 77.
Many parents and students also registered for the zoning track on the second day. Dasmawanti, a parent who registered her daughter at SMA 68 on Tuesday, said she had checked the information on applicants online on Monday. When she found that the minimum average examination scores of applicants was 95 out of 100, she opted for another school.
“My daughter’s score was 93,7,” she said Tuesday. “We have not registered yet, but we will choose another school.” (eyc)
