South Sumatra Ombudsman uncovers allegations of fraud in high school admissions selection

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – The Ombudsman of South Sumatra Province discovered alleged fraud in the merit-based selection process for the admission of new students (PPDB) to high schools (SMA) in 2024. Mr. Adrian, Head of the Ombudsman of South Sumatra, reported that dozens of prospective students who should have been accepted were rejected by schools.

“According to our clarification, almost 80 percent of the students who should have passed were declared unsuccessful,” Adrian said in a video posted on the South Sumatra Ombudsman's Instagram on Monday, June 17, 2024.

Adrian initially said the Ombudsman had received dozens of reports of irregularities in the merit-based selection of the PPDB in South Sumatra. According to the plaintiffs, the selection process lacked transparency and was not conducted in a professional manner.

Adrian cited the example of a parent. A student ranked first in middle school (SMP) was declared a failure by the school despite a check score of 750. Meanwhile, another student with a score of 350 was declared to have passed the PPDB. “This raises questions for parents and students,” Adrian remarked.

The parent was also not able to see their child's results. The in-app announcement only showed results without displaying students' scores. Additionally, the announcement did not include other students' scores.

“Despite earlier warnings from the Ombudsman about the importance of transparency in announcing results, the announcement did not show who had passed or their scores,” Adrian explained.

Adrian verified these reports and the results confirmed that 80 percent of the complaints were founded. Students who should have passed were declared unsuccessful.

“Therefore, we will investigate potential maladministration in the PPDB process and merit-based selection in South Sumatra,” said Adrian.

In light of these findings, the Ombudsman requested the Ministry of Education and South Sumatra Schools to postpone the announcement and re-registration for the merit-based PPDB route in Palembang City. The postponement will be in effect until the South Sumatra Ombudsman provides recommendations for improvement.

HENDRIK YAPUTRA

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