DPR Welcomes Replacement Of National Exams With Academic Competency Test

National exam illustration (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Deputy Speaker of the Indonesian House of Representatives Cucun Ahmad Syamsurijal welcomed the Government's decision to replace the National Examination (UN) with an Academic Competency Test (TKA) for school students. He assessed that the new policy was a breakthrough in improving quality and could reduce the burden on students in studying in schools.

"TKA can be a breakthrough in improving the quality of education in Indonesia," said Cucun, Tuesday, March 11.

As is known, the Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education (Kemendikdasmen) through the Standard Board of Curriculum and Education Assessment (BSKAP) officially changed UN to foreign workers. Later, foreign workers will not become the standard graduate of students from school.

According to Cucun, concepts such as foreign workers need to be applied in the education system in Indonesia because they are more appropriate in measuring the processes and learning results of students in schools.

"Because foreign workers will be an evaluation process for students so that the level of mastery of learning materials can be known while in school to what extent, so teachers can measure the wider competence of students," he said.

Even so, Cucun asked the Government to properly design TKA so that it would not become a scourge for schools and students. Moreover, foreign workers will be used as an indicator to enter the next level of education for elementary and junior high school students who will start at the Selection of New Student Admissions (SPMB) for the 2026 Academic Year.

Meanwhile, for 12th grade SMA/SMK students, foreign workers will begin to apply this year, precisely in November 2025.

"With the implementation of foreign workers, the burden on students has decreased because it is not a graduation standard. We know that so far there have been many cases of stressed students because they are worried that they will not graduate from school," explained Cucun.

"TKA can actually develop children's motivation and enthusiasm, so that the mental health of students is also guaranteed, which will certainly have a positive impact on the academics and competence of other students," continued the legislator from the West Java II electoral district.

Cucun also assessed that foreign workers can reduce various frauds or irregularities that often occur in education systems in the country. Because student graduation is no longer determined through the final exam, but is measured as a whole while studying at school where foreign workers will also become the capital to find out the competencies they have.

"I think foreign workers can overcome cases of irregularities and fraud in schools such as leakage of questions and the key to answers, as well as mass fraud, including jockeys who are often found in selection to enter higher education levels," said Cucun.

Furthermore, Cucun appreciated the abolition of the term "trial" because the word seemed to cause traumatic for students because it was related to the assumption of graduating and failing.

"So it is appropriate for foreign workers to be applied not as a determinant of graduation because it will burden students," he said.

By focusing on student competency tests, Cucun considers that foreign workers will maximize the quality of education. Moreover, the current value of PISA (Indonesian Student Assessment Program (PISA) is very low as seen from the indicators of reading literacy, mathematics, and student science.

"TKA must become a national education system unit so that in the end it can improve the quality of national education, which is reflected in the indicators that we commonly use, such as PISA scores," said Cucun.

The PISA value is a score that shows students' ability to read, math, and science initiated by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) where this study is conducted to evaluate the education system followed by more than 70 countries around the world every year.

Cucun also considers the PISA score very important because it is an indicator that describes the level of essential skills that a person needs in the world of work and society. He said, PISA is not only a matter of controlling the curriculum, but also how well students apply knowledge to solving daily problems.

In the world of work and life at large, the provision of basic competencies is very much needed. So it's not just a matter of knowing complex formulas but how children can apply the knowledge they get on their daily lives," he concluded.

For information, foreign workers are also said to be a component of the assessment of the selection of national achievement pathways at state universities (PTN) for students in the 12th grade of SMA/SMK. This foreign worker value will be used in the 2026 New Student Admission System (SPMB).