Zoning School Justice

PPDB zoning application has many complaints. There are a number of problems that need solutions. PPDB zoning needs to be transformed if it is to be maintained and seen as a dynamic system. Involve all stakeholders.

The following article was translated using both Microsoft Azure Open AI and Google Translation AI.

HERYUNANTO

Illustration

Schools in Indonesia have just finished holding a admission of new students for the 2023/2024 school year.

The zoning model in PPDB, which was first announced in the era of Education Minister Muhadjir Effendy—and considered a breakthrough to promote equity and improve the quality of education—is still being implemented in this PPDB, even though many parents complain about its implementation.

PPDB zoning needs to transform if it is to be maintained and seen as a dynamic system. Transformation is carried out through the study, development, and harmonization of renewal ideas based on the dialectic between expectations that should occur (das sollen) and reality (das sein) on the ground for a change in a better direction.

Also read: There are often problems, PPDB implementation does not pay attention to the proportion of schools

Problematics of PPDB

One of the frequent issues encountered in the Regional Student Admission (PPDB) zoning pathway is the falsification of civil registration data such as family cards (KK), letters of inability to pay, evidence of students' participation in the program for the handling of impoverished families, and letters of parent/guardian relocation proof.

Forgery of population data, for example, occurred in Bogor. The Mayor of Bima Arya Sugiarto revealed the discovery of 913 potential students registering for middle school through zoning who were suspected to have problematic population data and 155 potential middle school students who were suspected to be using fake population data. In Bekasi, Acting Mayor Tri Ardhianto found irregularities in high school students whose names were registered multiple times but had different addresses.

Secondly, there are certain elite groups with power who request, demand, and tend to force schools to accept prospective students based on their preferences. As an example, in Banten, a member of the Indonesian Ombudsman, Indraza Marzuki Rais, revealed the pressure from organizations and local officials for certain prospective students to be accepted at specific schools.

KOMPAS/FAKHRI FADLURROHMAN

Parents of prospective students are waiting for service officers at the New Students Admission Service Post (PPDB) for West Jakarta in SMAN 78, Palmerah, West Jakarta, Thursday (25/5/2023).

Third, the uneven distribution of schools and the limited capacity of schools. The presence of schools, especially at the secondary and vocational levels, still does not adequately reach the community in district/city/sub-district areas. In fact, in some cases, low-income families struggle to send their children to school because there are no public schools in their residential areas that fall under a specific zone.

As a result, they have to register their children in private schools that require payment. An example of this is happening in Jakarta where the Coordinator of the Indonesian Education Monitoring Network, Ubaid Matraji, stated that there are still 170,000 potential students (58 percent of the total graduates from elementary and junior high schools) who have not been absorbed by public schools.

Fourth, there is a lack of priority for teacher's children. Among teachers, many complain that the student admission policy (PPDB) is not in favor of them because there is a lack of quota for priority for teachers who want to enroll their children in public schools or the schools where they teach.

The zoning-based student enrollment program (PPDB) needs to undergo transformation if it is to be maintained and seen as a dynamic system.

So far, the quota for teachers as stipulated in Permendikbud No. 1/2021 Article 13 Paragraph (3) and Article 23 Paragraph (2) is combined with the quota for transfer of duties of parents or guardians with a maximum percentage of 5 percent of the school's capacity. Likewise, if a teacher wants to send his child to school where he teaches, his position is not as a main priority, but must compete and can only be filled based on the remaining quota from the assignment of parents or guardians, such as non-teacher civil servants, military and police.

On the fifth point, schools conduct transactions with prospective students' parents in the form of levies or contributions in order to obtain a special PPDB (student admission) pathway by paying.

One example was revealed by the Head of the Bangka Belitung Ombudsman, Shulby Yozar Ariadhy, that in Bangka Belitung there are still instances of adding study groups or classes in several public schools with the excuse of an agreement between the school and the prospective parents to accept additional school facility fees.

On the sixth day, the lack of quotas through the achievement pathway. PPDB is considered to ignore justice for those who have achievements because their admission quota is much smaller compared to those from the zoning and affirmation pathways.

KOMPAS/FAKHRI FADLURROHMAN

Activists are seen carrying posters containing their rejection of the selection system for new student admissions (PPDB) in Jakarta in front of the Jakarta City Hall on Tuesday (20/6/2023).

Achievements are only placed as the remaining quota in the PPDB after the zoning line with a percentage in elementary school (at least 70 percent), junior high school (at least 50 percent), high school/vocational school (at least 50 percent), affirmative action line (at least 15 percent), and the line of parent/guardian job transfer (maximum 5 percent) have been fulfilled. In addition, there is criticism that the definition, criteria, and assessment in the achievement line are still considered confusing.

Seventh, the issue of acceptance for the disability pathway. The issue of disability has not been elaborated in detail in several PPDB regulations. What kind of criteria for people with disabilities can be integrated with non-disabled students?

Is it sensory disability, physical disability, intellectual disability, or mental disability? Is inclusive class appropriate, where people with disabilities are integrated with nondisabled people, in the midst of limited state (regular) schools that provide disability-friendly infrastructure, teachers who understand exceptional education models, as well as counselors and doctors who usually accompany some types of disabilities?

On the eighth point, the public perception about the existence of state schools with superior and non-superior categories. The zoning pathway of the student admission system (PPDB) should be able to change the public perception that currently all state schools have equal status, based on their respective zones, so that there are no longer any so-called superior or non-superior schools.

The PPDB is considered to have neglected justice for those who have achievements because their acceptance portion is much smaller compared to those from zoning and affirmation pathways.

However, the fact is that the branding of certain schools still exists, so that many parents force their children to enter public schools which are still considered superior.

PPDB Solution

The solution that can be offered for the improvement of zoning schools must certainly start with the PPDB. Firstly, the government needs to continue campaigning for the values of honesty and administrative obedience in every opening of the PPDB. The community needs to be given an understanding of the impact of falsifying identification documents that can cancel the status of prospective students who have been accepted in school and can lead someone into the realm of the law as regulated in the Criminal Code.

The implementation of the student enrollment selection process (known as PPDB) should involve various sectors, ranging from law enforcement officials, inspectors, ministries and agencies responsible for population affairs, social affairs, health, education, and schools. A task force or patrol group for PPDB needs to be formed that will carry out socialization, monitoring, verification (including the validation of documents and fact-checking), and take decisive action for any findings of violation based on their respective authorities. The role of the community, journalists, and social media should not be ignored as they can contribute to social controls and assist the task force or patrol group in monitoring the implementation of PPDB.

Also read: Improve Strict Sanctions for All Parties Who Cheat in PPDB

Secondly, the government must remap the number of schools and the number of school-age children in all areas to ensure the availability of educational access and continue to encourage the development of new schools at all levels evenly and able to reach communities in remote areas, with support of adequate facilities and capacity.

The government also needs to reassess the relevance and existence of open schools as formal institutions that can support regular schools by providing educational services, especially for less privileged children who have limited time due to the need to assist working parents or geographic constraints.

Third, the government must give recognition to the teaching profession by providing access to educational services in the PPDB through a special quota with a proportional number for prospective students who come from children of teachers so that they can attend schools where their parents teach or in the environment where they live. Similarly, there is a need to increase the percentage quota for prospective students through achievement pathways. Apart from being a form of recognition for those who have achieved success, this is also to improve the quality of schools and competitiveness and achievement-oriented atmosphere among students.

KOMPAS/YOLA SASTRA

A teacher taught three first-grade students at SD Negeri 23 Lolong, Padang Utara District, Padang City, West Sumatra, on Thursday (13/7/2023) on how to write letters. The low number of students in the school is caused by the zoning system, its location close to another elementary school, relocation of residents due to road construction, distance from residential complexes, and proximity to the beach.

Fourthly, if the government still intends to implement inclusive class policies, they must be clearly and comprehensively detailed in the PPDB regulations regarding the criteria for individuals with disabilities who are medically, educationally, and socially able to integrate. Additionally, the criteria for individuals with disabilities who cannot be integrated with others must also be specified.

Operationally, the government needs to create guidelines that regulate education services for students with disabilities in regular schools. The government must add and modify infrastructure, such as building pathways, ramps, classrooms, desks, chairs, toilets, and fields, to be friendly to people with disabilities. They should also provide training for regular school teachers to have additional skills in educating and serving learners with disabilities.

Fifth, in order to eliminate public perception about elite and non-elite schools, so that parents are willing to enroll their children in any school, especially those located within their zones, the government must continually conduct campaigns or socialization efforts within the community. These efforts should be in conjunction with programs that improve the quality of professionalism among teachers and educational facilities in all schools, so that there is no gap in the quality of teachers and facilities between one school and another.

The public also needs to be given the understanding that the policy of free education in government schools should be prioritized for those who are less fortunate.

The public also needs to understand that free education policies in public schools should be prioritized for those who are less fortunate. Meanwhile, those who are capable should be directed to choose private schools.

On the sixth point, it is suggested that the provision of free education assistance quotas for less privileged students also involve and reach private schools, especially those that have long been helping the government in carrying out the social mission of educating the nation. The aim is to ensure that less privileged prospective students can still receive free education services in private schools with the government's assistance if the capacity of public schools is insufficient.

In the end, if the government wants to maintain the zonal school system, it is also the government that must be at the forefront of evaluating, developing, and formulating new policies as a form of zonal school transformation. Of course, involving all stakeholders. Do not let zonal schools and PPDB, which aim for justice, actually reveal their injustice in reality.

Sumardiansyah Perdana Kusuma, Head of the PB PGRI Research and Community Service Department; Founder of the Center for Public Education Studies; Teacher of SMAN 13 Jakarta

DOK. SUMARDIANSYAH PERDANA KUSUMA

Sumardiansyah Perdana Kusuma