What is the National Exam? The National Exam is one way to decide whether students will proceed to the next level of their education or not through a series of tests done within a three-day period. This exam has the same level of difficulties for rural and urban students. Ironically there are still schools in Indonesia, especially those in rural areas that do not receive the same level of education as those in the urban centres such as Jakarta. The reason why the National Exam is chosen to measure learners’ understanding is still questioned. The purpose of education is to provide the opportunity for students to gain knowledge from both inside and outside the classroom provided by resources such as teachers, peers, the internet, and books. Such knowledge cannot accurately be measured by a three day round of tests. The discussion about the need for the National Exam in Indonesia is still on going, and this debate will continue into the foreseeable future. However, there are several arguments the author would like to put forth in support of stopping the National
Exam: first, students’ understanding towards the lesson; second, the students’ physical and mental wellness when writing the National Exam, and finally, the security level of the National Exam’s question sheets.
First, students’ understanding towards a lesson cannot be measured alone through the
National Exam. The National Exam test results only show short-term memory scores.
Memorizing of materials does not show long-term understanding of subject material. Students will not be able to apply what they have learned in school to real life learning situations if they are trained to only use their short-term memory skills. Long- term memory skills need to be developed further through summative assessment techniques that a regular classroom teacher can apply more accurately to a learner profile than a national exam. The question arises do you teach students only subject matter related to the test and leave out other learning material that may be useful in providing a more rounded education to young learners. Another factor to consider is the National Exam does not take into consideration that not all students learn in different ways. According to Gardner’s theory of Multiple intelligences there different types of learners such as bodily-kinesthetic or spatial learners. Also, the National Exam does not make educational accommodations for special needs students who have mild to moderate cognitive or physical impairments such as students with Attention Deficit Disorder, Dyslexia or Dysgraphia.
Secondly, the demands to meet an unacceptable-scheduled exercise such as the National Exam can make the students physically unprepared during testing days. Their regular school and home routines are disrupted for the sake of cramming for an exam. The lack of sleep combined with poor diet affects a student’s academic performance. Increased consumption of junk food to provide a short-term energy boost instead of consuming more healthy food choices has been attributed to decreased physical and mental performances. The most advantageous condition is to have students physically and mentally ready to write an exam. However, in the beginning of the 3rd grade of high school, all students must join an extra course in order to increase their score and are expected to reach the highest one by the time of the National Exam. This increased expectation from both parents and teachers puts an increased burden on younger students in particular because they have yet to learn how to deal with stress more effectively compared to older students. A not uncommon approach of a young child is to practice avoidance. They may avoid doing the extra course by spending more time with their friends, getting into trouble at school or feigning illness in order to relieve pent up stress, for example. Even if the students are willing to join the extra course, their time of sleeping will be lessened. The result is poorer academic performance in regular school activities leading up to and sometime after the exam is over.
Thirdly, the security of the National Exam’s question sheets has come into question by many people such parents and educators. The leaking of the question sheet has occurred before and even a few educational institutions could be suspected of selling the question sheets to earn more money. The probability of increased exam cheating is heightened by this very possible phenomenon. For example, every morning during the National Exam week, almost all students gather in one place and wait for the answer key that will be sent to their phones. It is still unclear who is the sender but the students could surmise, and rightly so, that it is from the private institution, itself and not from government education representatives. This happens almost every year during the National Exam week. Stopping the National Exam will reduce the possibility of cheating and eventually would increase a learners’ ability of understanding lessons and transfer newly acquired knowledge into his/her long-term memory.
In conclusion, the notion of continuing with a National Exam should be reviewed. The reasons for such action as outlined in this paper is students’ understanding towards the lesson; students’ physical and mental condition when doing the National Exam; and the security of the National Exam’s question sheets. With these issues alone it shows concerns about why the National Exam should be reconsidered or even banned.
