National exam sees ‘fewer’ cheating cases

Jakarta, NU Online
This year’s national final exam, though remains controversial, has seen lesser violation cases, including an alleged “structural” attempt to leak exam papers by some school principals.

Senior official at the National Education Ministry’s inspectorate general, Amin Priyatna, said here Monday that while in 2007 up to 12 provinces reported major violation cases against exam ruling and in 2008 the figure dropped to seven, this year only one province reported such case.<>

Amin said the only major case that had been reported so far in this year’s national final exam was that involving 15 school principals in South Bengkulu , Bengkulu. They have allegedly cooperated in leaking the exam papers before the exam day in an attempt to help boost their students’ exam scores.

“Ten state school principals, four private school principals, one state Islamic high school principal and local head of secondary education division (at local education agency) are currently undergoing questioning by police,” Amin told a press conference at the education ministry’s office.

The police are also questioning teachers allegedly leaking exam papers to students in the same province and in Bangka-Belitung, he added.

Other cases currently under police investigation include alleged exam papers trading in Kendari, supervisor giving students solutions to the tested exam problems, and the spread of SMS containing problem solutions.

Head of the National Education Standards Agency, Mungin Eddy Wibowo, said the cases were expected to be settled soon before scores of the national exam of junior high school and high school students were announced to the public. (jp/dar)