The Bitterness of the Zoning System in Indonesia's Education System

Although it has been in effect for approximately 7 years, the zoning system that was implemented in 2017 in the Penerimaan Peserta Didik Baru or often known as PPDB still reaps many cons and criticisms every year. The system, which was first implemented by the Menteri Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan (Mendikbud), Muhadjir Effendy, is one of the strategies considered to accelerate school equity and quality education. In addition, through the implementation of this zoning system, it is hoped that the "status" of public schools that are considered favorites can be eliminated so as to improve the quality of schools in each predetermined zone. 

Despite the many cons and criticisms, the implementation of this zoning system is considered quite helpful for students and parents who come from the lower class but still want to continue their children's education.

 Students who come from the lower class but whose zone of residence is close to the school certainly benefit greatly from this system, because it is likely that they will be accepted at the public school where they register, so there is less chance of being "thrown" to private schools whose education costs are relatively more expensive than public schools. In addition, the zoning system is also expected to eliminate vacancies in schools that are considered non-favorite schools because students will focus on being accepted in favorite schools than in non-favorite schools. 

But as discussed earlier, it is not without reason that the zoning system that has been implemented for years has also drawn a lot of cons and criticism from the community, both from students who will continue their education to a higher level, parents, and even high school alumni also voiced their criticism of the system implemented by Muhadjir Effendy. 

Although the purpose of this zoning system is to improve the equity and justice of the education system in Indonesia, there are still many people who think that this system is very unfair.

With this zoning system, it is felt that more students are showing a decline in enthusiasm for their studies. Many students think that whatever grades they get at school will still make them graduate, plus the proximity of home and school zones makes them not have to be afraid and confused for them to be able to choose a school and continue their education.

 As for students who have a high spirit in learning, they will feel more pessimistic because they think that no matter how high the grades they get at school, if the distance between their home and the school is far, it will still be difficult to accepted, and the only way that they can do is to enter a private school.

The decline in students' competitive spirit in learning is also an impact of the zoning system. Not a few students nowadays do not show their competitive spirit in learning at school, for example in terms of competition for ranking in class. In addition, if in the past students would compete to pursue the best grades in the Ujian Nasional (UN) which could be used as a benchmark for applying to the desired school, now there are no more grades that they pursue, because even without a passing grade they can still enter a favorite school with a zoning system.

In addition, the various fraudulent practices with the zoning system in the Penerimaan Peserta Didik Baru (PPDB) such as falsification of Kartu Keluarga (KK), illegal gratuities, and also bribery are considered the same as teaching corruption to the public. For example, because the Kartu Keluarga (KK) included in the registration is at least 1 year before the PPDB registration date opens, many parents leave their children in the Kartu Keluarga of their relatives who have a zone close to the school they are aiming for. 

Reported from detiknews, "There are children who are entrusted to their aunts, entering into their KK to get the best school in Jakarta," Heru Budi told reporters on Jalan Bintaro Permai, Pesanggrahan, South Jakarta, Friday (5/7/2024).

Responding to the case of transferring the address of the Kartu Keluarga for PPDB registration, not a few of the parents are aware of this. Reporting from Kompas.com, Monday (24/6/2024), as many as 31 prospective students were disqualified from the West Java PPDB for SMA, SMK, SLB due to being caught manipulating the KK address in order to get into a favorite school. 

Which means, falsifying the address on the Kartu Keluarga such as entrusting children to the Kartu Keluarga of relatives or other people is no longer something new. This is done so that students can be accepted at favorite schools that are in a zone far from their original residence.

Of course, every education system implemented in Indonesia has its own advantages and disadvantages. However, when viewed from the many cons that exist in this system, Indonesia, especially the Menteri Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan (Mendikbud), should change the Penerimaan Peserta Didik Baru (PPDB) system with a system that is fairer and benefits all parties. For example, the Menteri Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan (Mendikbud) can return the Penerimaan Peserta Didik Baru (PPDB) system to the previous system, which uses the Nilai Ebtanas Murni (NEM) or passing grade from the Ujian Nasional (UN) results.

Nilai Ebtanas Murni (NEM) from the results of the Ujian Nasional (UN) is considered more fair in the PPDB system and the competitive spirit of students in learning at school. With the passing grade and the UN, students will be more serious in learning and have clearer goals in carrying out education. All students can together feel how to struggle in learning at school and feel satisfied when they get the best grades and bring them to the school they want from the beginning.