The Irrelevant Examination Affects the Future of the Students

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — The preparation in facing the national examination at vocational high school has started since this second semester. Although the schools are preparing, the national examination is considered to be irrelevant and is actually not needed by the students in vocational high school.

Even more, the fails on the examination obstructs the students in getting a job, whereas to work immediately is one of the reason why they choose to study in vocational school. Asep Papip, the Vice Curriculum Chairman of SMN 15 Bandung thus the Chairman of Independent Indonesian Teachers Federation of Bandung, on Sunday (15/2) said that the third grade students has been prepared to face the national examination (UN) since the beginning of the second semester through the material in depth. Asep, who got his doctoral degree on education policy from Education University of Indonesia, said, “The vocational material has been fully finished in the second grade. In the first semester of the third grade, the students will have the job training for six months and will then have national examination, so there will be no unused time of learning".

Supriyono, a teacher in SMKN 42 Jakarta the Chairman of Jakarta’s Teachers Union gave the same opinion as Asep. The material in depth on the national examination subjects is conducted at school with the simulation and quality control test. He said, “These six months are really prepared for the examination,”

Irrelevant
They prepare the students as best as they can since the fails on the examination, especially on the general subjects such as mathematic, English, and Indonesian language, will affect the future of the students.
Nevertheless, the examination is considered to be irrelevant and may obstruct the students in getting a job. Asep gave the example that his student two years ago has got a job in a luxury hotel since during the job training, the student performed very well. He further said, “The hotel allowed the student to attach the administrative requirements after the examination. Unfortunately, the student failed in the mathematic subject. Whereas, the other scores such as Indonesian language and English scores are more than the average. The student, finally, lose the job. The company needs a legal certificate to pay the salary,”
Asep added, this year, there is a students who get a job in a big automotive company. He expected not to repeat the same experience.
Package C, in his opinion, is not a solution since it’s not related to the vocational learning skill. Asep said, “Package C is equal with senior high school”.
The learning and examination of vocational high school students should be contextual, especially with the needs of the students which most of them are willing to directly find a job after they graduate. English subject in Vocational High School (SMK) for example, instead of aiming at passing the students in the examination, it should give them enough knowledge that will be useful in the working field based on their concentration.
The test competence, which was held by SMK and was considered in the average scores, has actually contained the main subjects of the UN such as Indonesian language, English, and Mathematic.
He further said, “The students already use a good and proper Indonesian language when the make a working proposal,” Supriyono also conveyed the same opinion. The government should be able to understand that Vocational High School is different with Senior High School.
Supriyono said, “The important thing for the SMK students is to have skill and legally accepted by the company. While those who want to study in a college usually prepare themselves long before to be able to fulfill the requirements".