Government No UN 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic Effect

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo decided to abolish the national exam (UN) for 2020, which previously had a UN agreement to be abolished starting in 2021.

This decision is part of the response system for the corona virus or COVID-19 outbreak, one of which is to prioritize people's health safety. As stated, the COVID-19 response system must save people's health, social resilience and the business world.

The suspension of the National Examination is the application of social distancing policies (social restrictions) to cut the chain of spread of the virus. This affirmation was conveyed by President Joko Widodo in a limited meeting to discuss the National Examination, Tuesday, March 24, 2020 via video conference.

National exams are eliminated for Senior High School (SMA) or Madrasah Aliyah (MA), Junior High Schools (SMP) or Madrasah Tsnawiyah (MTs), and Elementary Schools (SD) or Madrasah Ibtidaiyah (MI) levels.

National examination elimination policy needs to be followed by active participation of citizens in the application of social distancing behavior, namely working from home, learning from home and worship at home.

Before issuing this policy, President Joko Widodo prepared three options that could be chosen in the implementation of the UN. Among other things, continuing to carry out the final examinations that determine graduation, delaying its implementation, or completely eliminating its implementation.

"The main principle that we must uphold is that we can take this policy but do not harm the rights of 8.3 million students, the money should take part in the UN held," he said.

Previously, the meeting of the Minister of Education and Culture (Mendikbud) Nadiem Makarim with Commission X DPR RI suggested that there would be no test to determine graduation at the elementary, junior high and high school levels. This meeting was held virtually on Monday, 23 March.

Chairman of Commission X DPR RI, Syaiful Huda, said that the Ministry of Education and Culture was reviewing options for implementing the National Standard School Examination (USBN) to replace the National Examination. In addition, there is also an option to determine the method of graduation by using the cumulative value of the report card or student learning outcomes reports.

"From the online consultation meeting between Commission X and the Minister of Education and Culture Nadiem Makarim, various options were prepared to determine the method of student graduation, one of which was the cumulative score in the report card," said Syaiful in his written statement.

The agreement regarding the elimination of the National Examination, according to Syaiful, was taken after seeing the massive spread of COVID-19 occurring. According to the schedule, the SMA is supposed to be held next week, while the SMP and SD UN will be held in April.

"The spread of the COVID-19 outbreak is predicted to continue until April. So it is impossible for us to force students to gather to carry out the UN under the threat of the outbreak. So we agree that the UN will be eliminated," he said.