March 4, 2025
JAKARTA – The Elementary and Secondary Education Ministry is looking to introduce a new form of academic exams starting with high school students later this year. But experts have called for caution, saying that rushing into the new policy could instead catch students and teachers off guard.
Since assuming office in October, schools minister Abdul Mu’ti has been looking to reform the country’s education sector by introducing a host of changes to the policies of his predecessor, the latest of which is the academic ability test, or TKA, that will replace the national assessment, or AN.
The new academic ability tests are slated to start in November. They will measure a student’s ability in math, English, Indonesian and two other elective subjects – unlike the national assessment, which measures school performance by testing a sample of students from each school in literacy and numerical competence.
The national assessment that was introduced by Mu’ti’s predecessor Nadiem Makarim in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic has been met with mixed responses. Some praised the policy for being innovative and revolutionary, while its detractors said that it adversely impacted students’ willingness to learn and that it was an inadequate way to measure each student’s academic performance.
This concern prompted the schools ministry to implement the new academic ability tests, an individual test to evaluate each student’s academic performance against a national standard.
However, the new standardized exams will not be a requirement for students to pass their grade, said Educational Standards, Curriculum and Assessment Agency (BSKAP) acting head Toni Toharuddin.
“The TKA will be implemented this year starting with senior high school students. We have also synergized with the Council of Rectors for Indonesian State Universities [MRPTN] for the TKA to be used for [university admission] through the [academic] achievement pathway,” Toni said recently in a press release.
According to Toni, the new tests will also be used for elementary students’ admission into middle school and middle school students’ admission into high school, although it will be implemented next year.
Second Deputy Elementary and Secondary Education Minister Atip Latipulhayat was quoted by Tempo as saying on Thursday that the new tests “provide an opportunity for all students to conduct a kind of self-assessment of their academic abilities and potential.”
Synergy
Nisa Felicia, executive director of think tank the Center for Education and Policy Studies (PSPK), said that the ability tests would complement existing academic merit-based pathways for entry into university as well as schools, through the newly unveiled admission system called the SPMB.
The SPMB was introduced by Mu’ti last month. It replaced the problematic zone-based admission policy, called the PPDB, by giving a bigger allocation of seats in schools to students based on their academic achievements.
“At the moment, admission [to schools and universities] through academic merit is based on student report cards. Since these are provided by schools, they have different standards,” Nisa said.
While the academic ability tests will not to be mandatory and will not be a requirement for passing a grade, Nisa said any standardized testing could still have adverse effects on students’ learning.
“Standardized tests could harm students’ cognitive learning. As such, schools must continue to pay attention to developing students’ characters and competencies, which are far more complex and cannot be measured solely by standardized tests like the TKA,” Nisa added.
Calls for caution
Iman Zanatul Haeri of the Indonesian Teachers Association (P2G) raised his concern that there could be insufficient time for teachers and students to be properly informed about the policy before it is slated to be implemented in November.
“At the end of the day, teachers are the ones being asked [by students] about standardized tests, so the government must have listened to our aspirations,” Iman said.
He also urged the government to thoroughly prepare for the technicalities of standardized tests, such as measures to prevent the tests from being leaked and how to ensure that all schools, including those in underdeveloped regions, have adequate infrastructure and internet connection to administer the exams.
“Or else, the TKA could instead be another discriminatory policy that widens the education gap between schools in the country,” Iman said.