Questioning The Integrity Of The Young Generation Amid The Issue Of UTBK SNBT 2025 Fraud

Participants take part in the National Selection Test-Based Computer Writing Examination (UTBK SNBT) at the Laboratorius FISIP Oleo University, Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi, Friday (25/4/2025). (ANTARA/Andry Denisah/YU)

JAKARTA Computer-Based Writing Examination for National Selection Based on the 2025 SNBT Test or UTBK is one of the gates to enter State Universities (PTN). But unfortunately, the struggle to get there was tarnished by a number of acts of fraud.

The issue of leaks about being widely heard in line with the implementation of the 2025 UTBK SNBT which has been implemented since Wednesday, April 23, 2025.

However, the implementation of the UTBK SNBT was colored by the cheating news that occurred in a number of locations. From uploads on social media, a screenshot of Whatsapp group conversations was seen allegedly by UTBK participants who were sharing stories about the leaks of questions and fraudulent attempts made by each participant.

"The average supervisor is relaxed, that's why I can chat Deepseek," reads one conversation in a screenshot dated April 23, 2025.

Chairman of the Team for Responsible for the National Selection for New Student Admissions (SNPMB) Eduart Wlok denied any leaks regarding the written exam, especially since the leak came from the committee. However, Eduart did not deny that there were a number of violations committed by the participants.

Until the second day of the UTBK implementation, SNPMB recorded at least 14 cases of fraud or around 0.0071 percent of the total participants.

If you look at the numbers, the number of fraudulent modes is still relatively small. But Eduart emphasized that his party had not turned a blind eye to the discovery.

Moreover, according to him, fraud modes continue to change, some even using various technologies. He explained that among a number of fraudulent modes used were carrying hidden cameras in belts, dental wires, to the use of desktop software.

The news about the fraud that occurred at UTBK SNBT is actually not a new problem. Every year of its implementation, this issue almost always exists.

This is clearly an alarming problem. Ubaid Matraji, the National Coordinator of the Indonesian Education Monitoring Network (JPPI) assessed that there was fraud in the 2025 UTBK SNBT because previously, similar practices were normalized in the world of Indonesian education. According to Ubaid, there was no very serious effort from the government to overcome this.

This cheating phenomenon is also an alarm that the issue of integrity in education is a complex issue. Therefore, serious and sustainable handling is needed from the government and all elements of society.

"If we fail to overcome this problem from its roots, then efforts to produce an integrated and quality generation will be increasingly difficult to achieve. And also, Indonesia's ideals will easily run aground, driven by poor integrity," Ubaid told VOI.

According to Ubaid, the normalization of fraud has been accustomed since school. Unfortunately, the practice of cheating in the world of education is not only carried out by students, but also by teachers.

He gave an example of the practice of value alms' that can be done by teachers. This value is often found in the value of report cards which are used as an assessment of the path of achievement to enter college.

"So this normalization has been carried out since elementary education, so people cheat feel like a call, because the ecosystem is indeed supportive," he explained.

In the midst of the 2025 UTBK SNBT fraud, Ubaid then highlighted the score of the Education Integrity Index released by the Corruption Eradication Commission. The score fell to 69.5 in 2024. This is the lowest score compared to the previous years, namely 73.7 (2023) and 70.4 (2022).

In the Integrity Assessment Survey (SPI), it also shows that there are still many fraudulent actions of students and students while studying in education units. 98 percent of cheating cases were found on campus and 78 percent in schools.

Ubaid emphasized that the KPK findings show that fertile corrupt practices occur in schools and campuses. Starting from lies and academic indiscipline, gratuities, conflicts of interest in the procurement of goods and services, misappropriation of BOS funds, and so on.

"So, one of the acute diseases that eats away at our education capacity turned out to be sourced from corrupt practices in schools and campuses," he explained.

"Therefore, if it is allowed, then this decline not only reflects the decline in the quality of the pendi'dik'an, but also shows how the education system could be an incubator for corruption in the future," Ubaid ended.