National Exam Urgently Needs Evaluation

Sindo, Page 5

The implementation of the national exams urgently needs to be evaluated. It is considered to be unjust because it deems all students, either from rural areas or major cities, equal.

Nangroe Aceh Darussalam (NAD) Indonesian Teachers Association (PGRI) branch member Ramli Rasyid says the national exam is still quite relevant to be implemented in Indonesia. However, it must be used as a way to map out the nation so it can be a tool to determine which schools need intervention.

Education observer Al Fitri believes mapping the national exam is a good policy for the Government. However, the exams should not be used as a determining factor on whether or not a student graduates.

Director General of Basic Education at the Ministry of Education and Culture, Hamid Muhammad, concluded that the national exams should still be implemented providing that improvements will be made.

National Exam Urgently Needs Evaluation

Evaluasi UN Mendesak

Sindo, p 5

UN masih jauh dari rasa keadilan karena menyamaratakan pendidikan pesera didik daerah dan kota besar. Padahal UN masih sebagai acuan penentu mutu pendidikan.

Anggota Persatuan Guru Republik Indonesia (PGRI) Nangroe Aceh Darussalam (NAD) Ramli Rasyid mengatakan, masih cukup relevan pelaksanaan UN di Indonesia. Namun, UN harus diefektifkan sebagai pemetaan sehingga dapat menjadi penentu intervensi bagi sekolah yang nilainya masih buruk. Sementara sekolah yang sudah bagus dapat dibina lagi.

Dirjen Pendidikan Dasar (Dikdas) Kemendikbud Hamid Muhammad menyimpulkan bahwa UN tetap akan dijalankan dengan syarat perbaikan yang diminta para pembicara.

Ministry Pledges to Act After Exam Regularities Revealed

Jakarta Post, Page 4

The Ministry of Education and Culture said it would at on recommendations made by the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK in a report, which found irregularities during the preparation of the 2013 national exam. The Ministry’s Secretary General, Ainun Nai’im, said the Ministry would launch its own investigation into the matter.

Last Wednesday, the BPK announced that the state had potentially incurred IDR 63 billion (US$560,700) in losses from the allegedly rigged tender process for the printing and distribution of the 2013 national exam materials. The BPK also found the state could have suffered IDR 8.1 billion in losses from corruption in the procurement of last year’s national exam materials.

Ministry of Education and Culture’s Inspector General Haryono Umar said his office had unearthed similar results in its probe. Haryono revealed he discovered irregularities in the tender process and the pricing of the procurement of the national exam materials.

Ministry Pledges to Act After Exam Regularities Revealed

Komitmen Kementerian UU Setelah Ujian keteraturan Terungkap

Jakarta Post, p 4

Kementerian Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan mengatakan akan menindaklanjuti hasil temuan Badan Pemeriksaan Keuangan (BPK), yang menemukan penyimpangan dalam pelaksanaan UN 2013.

Rabu lalu, BPK mengumumkan bahwa negara mengalami  kerugian sebesar Rp 6,3 miliar yang diduga adanya kecurangan pada proses pencetakan dan pendistribusian materi UN 2013. BPK juga menemukan kerugian negara sebesar Rp 8,1 miliar dari korupsi dalam pengadaan bahan ujian nasional tahun lalu.

Kementerian Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan Inspektur Jenderal Haryono Umar mengatakan, pihaknya telah menemukan hasil yang sama dalam penyelidikannya. Haryono mengungkapkan ia menemukan kejanggalan pada proses tender dan penentuan harga pengadaan bahan ujian nasional.

Public Schools Lack Teachers in Bekasi City

Tempo, Page C2

Bekasi City lacks civil servant teachers needed to teach a number of schools. Ali Fauzie, Head of Program Management at the Bekasi City Education Office, said elementary schools lack 2,000 teachers. There are currently 4,120 elementary school teachers. Ideally, 6,578 teachers are needed to teach 453 state elementary schools.

Meanwhile, there are only 1,285 teachers teaching junior high schools. Ideally, there should be 1,761 teachers spread out in 43 state junior high schools.

As many as 643 teachers are currently teaching in 18 state senior high schools while the ideal amount is 827 teachers. Meanwhile, 11 state vocational schools need 560 teachers yet only 155 teachers are currently teaching. Therefore, 405 teachers are still needed to teach state vocational schools.

Public Schools Lack Teachers in Bekasi City

Sekolah Negeri di Kota Bekasi Kekurangan Guru

Koran Tempo, p C2

Pemerintah Kota Bekasi kekurangan tenaga guru yang berstatus pegawai negeri untuk mengajar di sejumlah sekolah. Kepala Bidang Pembinaan Program, Dinas Pendidikan Kota Bekasi, Ali Fauzie, mengatakan sekolah dasar (SD) kekurangan 2.000 guru. Saat ini, jumlah guru SD mencapai 4.120 orang, idealnya 6.578 orang. Sedangkan untuk sekolah menengah pertama (SMP) baru memiliki 1.285 guru yang idealnya 1.761 guru untuk ditempatkan di 43 SMP negeri.

Untuk sekolah menengah atas (SMA) di 18 sekolah negeri hanya 643 orang, dibutuhkannya 827 guru. Sementara di 11 sekolah menengah kejuruan (SMK) negeri hanya ada 155 orang dari 560 guru yang dibutuhkan.

Up to IDR 12 Billion Over-Budget in Malang City Education Office

Tempo, Page A8

Malang Corruption Watch (MCW) unraveled indications of excess spending of the 2012 national budget at the Malang City Education Office worth IDR 12.05 billion. The total funds allocated to the Education Office amounted to IDR 502 billion, with IDR 355 billion allotted for employee expenses and IDR 147 allotted for infrastructure.

Coordinator at MCW’s Advocacy Division, Zainuddin, said most of the excess spending was derived from the employee expense budget. As much as IDR 2 billion was squandered on official trips despite 70% of these trips having been in Malang City itself. Up to IDR 751.6 billion per year was said to have been used for mail, which is equal to IDR 2.5 million per day.

The Education Office also cut the School Operation Funds (BOS) to be used to pay the BOS management.  As much as IDR 3 billion out of the allotted IDR 23 billion of BOS for elementary schools was taken for the management. Funds from the junior high school BOS were also cut at IDR 2.4 billion out of the IDR 12.7 billion allotted.

The funds used for rehabilitating the Malang City Education Office building were also considered an unnecessary expense because the building was still in good condition. The salary for civil servants was also noted again at IDR 1.39 billion despite them already having been paid.

Up to IDR 12 Billion Over-Budget in Malang City Education Office

Anggaran Pendidikan Kota Malang Diduga Boros hingga Rp 12 Miliar

Koran Tempo, p A8

Malang Corruption Watch (MCW) membongkar indikasi pemborosan Anggaran Pendapatan dan Belanja Daerah 2012 di Dinas Pendidikan Kota Malang senilai Rp 12,05 miliar. Total anggaran di dinas itu Rp 502 miliar, rinciannya Rp 355 miliar untuk belanja pegawai dan Rp 147 miliar biaya infrastruktur.

Dinas Pendidikan juga memotong dana Bantuan Operasional Sekolah Daerah untuk manajemen pengelolaan BOS. Dana BOS Daerah tingkat SD senilai Rp 23 miliar dipotong Rp 3 miliar untuk manajemen, tingkat SMP Rp 12,7 miliar dipotong Rp 2,4 miliar untuk manajemen.

Temuan MCW ini didukung hasil audit Badan Pemeriksaan Keuangan Perwakilan Jawa Timur yang menemukan ada belanja barang tak tepat. Wakil Wali Kota Malang Sutiaji menyatakan akan menata manajemen keuangan di Dinas Pendidikan dan mengusut manajemen BOS Daerah.

Many Poor Students Still Have Not Received Aid

Media Indonesia, Page 21 (3)

Deputy Minister for Education at the Ministry of Education and Culture, Musliar Kasim, asserted that all those who have Social Protection Cards (KPS) and are still in school have the right to receive scholarships for the poor (BSM).

Musliar explained that this year, the BSM program was implemented differently. Last year, those who received BSM were students in schools that appealed for their students to receive aid. However, this year, the BSM program is aimed at every underprivileged home that has a KPS. These families are urged to request BSM for all children who are still in school.

Yet this new BSM program method has resulted in few that have received their rightful scholarships. Up until September 17 this year, only 21% have received their BSM scholarships.

Last year, the BSM for elementary students was IDR 360,000/ year/ student. This year, it increased to IDR 450,000/ year/ student. Meanwhile, the BSM for junior high school students this year was increased to IDR 750,000/ year/ student from last year’s IDR 460,000/ year/ student. Last year, there was no BSM for senior high school students, yet this year, senior high school students are set to receive IDR 1 million/ year. Specifically for this year, all elementary, junior high and senior high school students will receive additional aid amounting to IDR 200,000 each.

Many Poor Students Still Have Not Received Aid

Penyerapan Bantuan Siswa Miskin masih Minim

Media Indonesia, p 21 (3)

Wakil Menteri Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan (Wamendikbud) Musliar Kasim menegaskan seluruh tanggungan penerima kartu perlindungan sosial (KPS) yang masih bersekolah berhak memperoleh bantuan siswa miskin (BSM).

Ia menjelaskan terdapat perbedaan pola penyaluran BSM tahun ini, penyaluran BSM tahun ini didasarkan pada setiap rumah tangga miskin penerima KPS untuk mengusulkan seluruh anak tanggungan mereka yang masih bersekolah kepada satuan pendidikan.

Pola baru penyaluran BSM itu memang membuat penyerapan penerimanya sampai sekarang masih rendah.

Ia pun menegaskan, tidak ada pembatasan tanggungan anak yang masih bersekolah bagi penerima KPS untuk mendapatkan BSM. Andai anai mereka Sembilan dan masih bersekolah mulai SD hingga SMA, bantuan tetap diberikan.