c) Description of SLTP NEM Quality in 1997/1998

Some important matters concerning the SLTP quality in 1997/1998 may be specified as follows, see Table 2.4. Data concerning SLTP NEM 1997/1998 for NTT (East Nusa Tenggara) are still unavailable.

By using the same ‘cutting point’ and by measuring until 2 digits after the comma to distinguish passing grades from non-passing, the following information has been obtained. First, from the viewpoint of the number of provinces, there is no province outside Java which achieved the provincial average grade sufficient for passing, while on the other hand there were three provinces (Southeast Sulawesi with 3.13 average, DI Aceh with 3.06 and North Sulawesi with 3.05) outside Java with provincial average grades sufficient to pass. Even though, the average provincial grade (2.30) in Java was relatively slightly higher than that of outside Java (2.20). Second, viewed from the number of schools and using measurement up till one digit after the comma, there is no school in Java with grades sufficient for passing. On the other hand three provinces outside Java (Southeast Sulawesi, DI Aceh, and North Sulawesi) achieved passing grades.

Schools with students achieving excellent grades (higher than 7.5) were found primarily in Java (9 out of 8,351) rather that outside Java (6 out of 9,164). On the other hand, schools with students achieving poor grades (less than 4.5) were less available in Java (845 out of 8,351) than outside Java (1,387 out of 9,164). Note: the number of schools differing in 1996/1997 and 1997/1998 may have been caused by the fact that in 1997/1998 not all data concerning schools were collected yet at the time this assessment was written.

In 1996/1997 schools with distribution of student grades nearing normal (the number of students with excellent grades relatively in balance with the number of students with poor grades) were found in Southeast and North Sulawesi. In general, the distribution of grades in each province followed the national pattern, namely tending to lean to the left which means that there are more schools with insufficient grades, for example East Timor. However, the student grade distribution in DI Yogyakarta and DI Aceh tends to lean to the right.

An interesting fact was the grades achieved by students in DI Yogyakarta. In this province, the number of schools with students achieving excellent grades increased, in comparison with the year before (from 5 schools increasing to 9). On the other hand, the number of schools categorized as excellent decreased in North Sulawesi with the exception of one school and in Southeast Sulawesi there is none, the average grades of schools in these two provinces were better than the average grades in schools in DI Yogyakarta at provincial level.

In 1996/1997, viewed from the quality of individual schools, SLTP of excellent quality were primarily found in Java, while parallel to that schools of poor quality were primarily found outside Java.