School majors need to be reviewed

Kompas, page 12

It is time the majoring or specialization of high school students into Natural Science (IPA) and Social Science (IPS) groups is reviewed. The sorting of IPA and IPS brings about the caste of fields of knowledge that often shape a divided mindset. Infopreneur about college majors that initiated jurusanku.com Ina Liem said students must prepare themselves for various professions of which there are currently no names yet for them. There is a stigma that IPA children are smarter than IPS students. Children considered smart, are directed to enter IPA. Some students are even made complicated to enter IPS because their scores qualify to enter IPA.

Education observer and practitioner Doni Koesoema rates among students themselves appear stigma towards the IPS major.  This is reinforced in the university admissions policy through the SNMPTN (achievement path) pathway, which allegedly triggers school fraud. There is a perception that IPA students have more choices of fields of study in higher education. As a result, many parents are forcing their children to choose IPA.

Rector of Trilogy University, Jakarta, Asep Saefuddin said, universities need to rethink the new student admissions requirements. From the research results based on multiple intelligence, IPA and IPS grouping is misleading. He said children cannot just be grouped into IPA or IPS; because, a person’s profile is not that simple.

In Indonesia, a number of universities begin to emerge that do not accept students based on IPA or IPS. One of them is Sampoerna University which prioritizes basic competencies, including creativity, critical thinking, and collaboration. At Swiss German University (SGU), some high school graduates majoring in social studies (IPS) were accepted in the science-oriented mechatronics department. SGU Rector Filiana Santoso says, most importantly, students understand the key to success in their chosen field.