December 23, 2025 | 07:32 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Deputy Chair of Commission X of the House of Representatives (DPR), Lalu Adrian Irfani, highlighted low scores in mathematics and English in the 2025 Academic Ability Test (TKA). Data from the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education shows that national achievement in both subjects is a serious concern.
"The TKA 2025 results should serve as a wake-up call and a call for a total evaluation of our education system, specifically for Indonesian, English, and mathematics," said the National Awakening Party politician in a statement on Tuesday, December 23, 2025.
The legislator from West Nusa Tenggara emphasized that the evaluation must be objective and broad. This includes looking at both the performance of teachers and the students. He argued that teaching quality is the main factor in improving student achievement. "If the weakness lies with the teachers, then their quality must be significantly improved," he said.
However, if the cause of the low scores is the students' own ability, he urged the government to provide better support systems. Commission X, which oversees education, will push the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education to use these results to create new policies. He stated that there must be changes to the curriculum, teaching methods, and teacher training.
"The TKA results must not just end as a report. We need concrete steps to truly enhance the quality of national education," he added.
The high school TKA took place from November 3 to 6, 2025, with makeup sessions held later that month. Results showed the average high school scores were 57.39 for Indonesian, 37.23 for mathematics, and 26.71 for English. For vocational schools (SMK), the scores were 53.62 for Indonesian, 34.74 for mathematics, and 22.55 for English. The maximum possible score was 100.
"The low scores are likely because the test questions focused more on reasoning and narrative," said Rahmawati, Head of the Assessment Center for the Ministry.
During a media briefing on Monday, December 22, 2025, she explained that the math questions were complex. Students had to link data with specific clues to find answers. "There are many missing clues in these simple sentences," she said. Consequently, most students missed the conditions hidden within the questions.
Rahmawati hoped the 2025 results would lead the ministry to make improvements. The ministry wants schools to share teaching methods and learning techniques to help raise scores in the future.
Meanwhile, the Education and Teacher Association (P2G) has a different view. Iman Zanatul Haeri, Head of Advocacy at P2G, urged the ministry to test the TKA questions publicly to evaluate their quality.
P2G reported that interviews with teachers and students suggested some questions were not part of the current curriculum. They want a public review of the exam content. "Let us dissect the TKA questions together. We need to see if they actually match the learning outcomes of the curriculum," Iman said.
Dinda Shabrina and Andi Adam Faturahman contributed to this report
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