JAKARTA - Chairman of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Puan Maharani, highlighted the confusion of the New Student Admission System (SPMB) which has occurred again for the new academic year 2025-2026. According to her, repeated problems during the registration of school children must be evaluated because it is a reflection of the lack of maximum national education system.
"Every year, the problem is almost the same, the queue from dawn, the error digital system, the questionable domicile data, to the practice of illegal levies which are now even recognized by regional heads. This condition can no longer be considered a seasonal disturbance. This is a governance crisis that has been left fragile for years," said Puan Maharani, Tuesday, June 17.
Puan assessed that the SPMB chaos was not just an administrative failure, but a waiver of the basic rights of Indonesian children to access fair and dignified education.
"When children are rejected from schools that are only hundreds of meters from their homes because of the digital zoning system that doesn't make sense, what is injured is not only a sense of justice, but also the future," said Puan.
As is known, the registration of new students who are now named SPMB is again colored by uncertainty and protests from parents in various places. The SPMB replaces the PPDB system which previously focused on zoning. The SPMB emphasizes more on other factors such as domicile, affirmation, achievement, and mutation.
However, many parents of prospective new students expressed their disappointment because their children were not accepted into favorite public schools, even though their homes were close to destination schools. On the other hand, some participants who live far have actually managed to pass the selection.
In fact, there are also reports of alleged manipulation of domicile data that have re-emerged in Jakarta, Bandung, Surabaya, and Makassar. The mode includes the sudden transfer of domicile and forgery of Family Cards (KK), which are allegedly carried out to pursue certain school zones.
"Education should be the safest and most inclusive space for all children. But in reality, the entrance to school is an arena full of uncertainty," added Puan.
According to Puan, the zoning system is actually a discriminatory tool that does not consider social and geographical realities in several areas where children become victims of systems that are insensitive to field facts. He also highlighted the weak control over digitalization in education systems and asked the state to be present when digital systems and domicile data can be manipulated.
"When domicile data can be arranged in such a way by individuals, then we are not building a fair system, we are allowing irregularities to take place behind the scenes," explained the former Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture.
Puan feels sad because until now there has been no comprehensive improvement made by the central and regional governments. For this reason, he called for the Government to immediately carry out a total evaluation of the PPDB mechanism, including the zoning system which has proven to cause inequality and discrimination of access.
"The audit is independent of the digital registration system used in all provinces, in order to close the loopholes for manipulation and intervention of third parties," said Puan.
"Law enforcement against any form of extortion, bribery, or buying and selling of chairs that damage the integrity of the national education system must also be enforced," added Bung Karno's grandson.
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Puan also asked the government to evenly distribute the quality of education in all regions so that there is no concentration of superior schools only at certain points.
"The right of children to go to school is not a privilege, it is a constitutional right that must be fulfilled by the state. There is no reason for the state to fail to organize the school entry process in a transparent, humane and fair manner," concluded Puan.
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