Education Policy Watch: TKA Mandate Tightens for University Track

Education Policy Watch: The New Academic Hurdle

TKA Mandate Tightens for University Track: Vocational Students in Deep Learning Curriculum Face a 'Voluntary but Required' Test

By Agus Bagyo | Vocational Education Analyst | November 22, 2025

BATANG. The landscape of academic assessment for Indonesian 12th graders has been redefined with the introduction of the Academic Competence Test (TKA), a national standard assessment replacing the previous National Examination (UN). For students in vocational high schools (SMK/MAK)—particularly those specializing in the cutting-edge **Deep Learning curriculum**—the TKA presents a unique, dual-status challenge: officially **optional** for graduation, yet effectively **mandatory** for continuing their education at a state university.

A Tool for Self-Awareness, Not Graduation

The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (Kemendikdasmen) has consistently positioned the TKA not as a graduation exam, but as a crucial instrument for students to better understand their **academic strengths** and potential.

"The test is **voluntary** and does not determine graduation. However, the results can help students build confidence in choosing careers or further education," explained Director General for Early Childhood, Primary, and Secondary Education, Gogot Suharwoto. The TKA is designed to measure Higher Order Thinking Skills (**HOTS**) and application of knowledge, moving the focus away from rote memorization.

This perspective aligns closely with the principles of the **Deep Learning curriculum**, which aims to foster meaningful, joyful, and mindful learning by connecting material to real-world contexts and developing critical thinking.

Simulated Visual: TKA & Deep Learning Alignment
[Deep Learning Principles (Meaningful, Contextual) → HOTS Assessment → TKA Success]

The Non-Negotiable Requirement for University Entry

Despite its voluntary status at the school level, the TKA score has now been solidified as a **mandatory component** for students applying to state universities through the National Achievement-Based Selection (**SNBP**) pathway.

The SNBP Coordinator, Riza Satria Perdana, confirmed that the TKA acts as a **validation instrument** for school report cards. "The TKA is a requirement for participating in the SNBP. Therefore, eligible students listed by their schools... must have a TKA score," Riza stressed.

For vocational students, whose career goals often bridge industry and advanced study, this makes the TKA a **non-negotiable step** if they plan to pursue a degree after graduation. The test ensures an objective, national standard for comparing academic achievements during the highly competitive university selection process.

Deep Learning Students and Subject Choice

Students in the Deep Learning track, known for integrating advanced subjects like **Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and specialized Mathematics**, are advised to strategically choose their TKA subjects. The TKA includes three compulsory subjects (Indonesian, Mathematics, and English) and two elective subjects.

Expert academic consultants suggest that students align their two elective TKA subjects carefully with their desired university major, using their high-level vocational subject knowledge to demonstrate proficiency.

Implementation Concerns Remain:

The introduction of the TKA has not been without controversy. An online petition demanding the cancellation of the test garnered significant student signatures, citing **sudden implementation** and **inadequate preparation time** following the official release of the assessment framework. Technical difficulties during initial trial runs also also raised concerns about server readiness for the November 2025 assessment.

Nevertheless, the government and principals remain optimistic, viewing the TKA as a strategic tool to improve the quality of high school and vocational graduates nationwide.

For more insight, watch this video:

▶️ Simulation of TKA at Elementary and Secondary Education Level (YouTube)

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Recount Text

My Life Journey

A short recount text by Agus Bagyo

My name is Agus Bagyo. I was born on August 19th, 1976, in Cluwuk Village, Tulis, Batang, Central Java. I am the first son of Wastono and Arni, who worked as small farmers. I grew up in a simple family with one sister and two brothers; sadly, my youngest brother passed away when he was only three years old.

I began my education at the primary school in my village and studied there for six years. After completing primary school in 1991, I continued my studies at SMP Negeri 1 Tulis. I spent three years there and graduated in 1993. In the same year, I registered and was accepted at SMA Negeri 1 Pekalongan. After three years, I graduated from high school.

After finishing high school, I continued my higher education at Sebelas Maret University in Solo, joining the English Department, Faculty of Letters. I graduated from the university in March 2001.

After graduating, I worked as an honorary teacher at SMK Negeri 1 Batang for six years. Later, I was accepted as a civil servant teacher at the same school and have been serving there as an English teacher up to the present.

Comprehension Test — Implicit Information

Choose the best answer for each question. Click Show Answers to reveal the correct options.

1. Why did the writer likely choose to become an English teacher?

A. Because he wanted to follow his parents’ career. B. Because he studied English during university. C. Because his siblings were also teachers. D. Because he lived in Pekalongan. E. Because he could not find another job.

2. What does the text suggest about the writer’s early life?

A. He grew up in a wealthy and well-known family. B. He lived in an urban area with many facilities. C. He spent his childhood in a simple village environment. D. He traveled abroad frequently during school years. E. He received private education at home.

3. Why did the writer most likely feel proud when he became a civil servant teacher?

A. Because he finally worked in another school. B. Because he completed his studies earlier than expected. C. Because he had waited many years before being accepted officially. D. Because he wanted to change his profession. E. Because teaching was not difficult for him.

Created for classroom use — feel free to copy and post on your personal blog.

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English Teamwork for assessment

 It's common sense that when someone has a future agenda, he or she needs a plan to carry out his or her agenda on the right track. To make the agenda work as we wish, we do it in a team effort. Doing anything together will minimise the mistakes and save our energy, or financial needs, due to our shortages and imperfections.

That's why we always do our job in a team, as mutual work is an effective way to carry out our plan for success due to our different individual businesses.

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Why don't you choose SMK?

 

Choose the correct word in the bracket to complete the sentences in the paragraph below!

When I was a third-year student of SMP, SMP 1 TULIS, I had been dreaming of being a student of SMK JUTEX PEKALONGAN, which belongs to the textile group. My choice met the economic conditions of my parents, as only poor villager-farmers in CLUWUK, SUBAH. At that time, I thought that being a graduate of SMK was (easier, more easy) to getting any job; (compared, comparing) with a graduate of SMA. Students learning in SMK will study a lot of life skills, such as; typing, operating computers, repairing machines, etc

Hence, (being, be) a student of SMK is (more skillful, skillfuler)than those of SMA. SMK students will get (applicativer, more applicative) courses; which are needed in the world of work. I enrolled to be a student of SMA, however; instead of being a student of SMK. One of my teachers in SMP led me (be, to be, being)a student of SMA Negeri 1 PEKALONGAN. My teacher said, "There, you'll be (more competitive, competitiver)than that in other schools; more over, you're smart enough to be one of the students in that favorite school." Finally, I was (happy, happier)to be a (commuting, commuted)student in(better, the best) SMA in the Residency of PEKALONGAN, SMANSA PEKALONGAN. A senior high school that brought me to be a student of the ENGLISH DEPARTMENT, FACULTY of LETTERS, UNS SEBELAS MARET UNIVERSITY, SURAKARTA; through PMDK, new student recruitment for the big ten rank students in the classroom. Now, I'm an English teacher of SMK 1 BATANG, however. After being a three-year honorarium teacher and getting the certificate of teaching license, AKTA  IV, from UT, UNIVERSITAS TERBUKA, I'm a candidate for stabled teacher of government.

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Presentation

 

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English Discussion

 The many years of learning activity in our school laboratory, when English was a subject that was considered needed in our school at that time, because the national exam was still assigned for the twelfth graders. hehe

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Practical English

 English is a West Germanic language in the Indo-European language family, with its earliest forms spoken by the inhabitants of early medieval England.^[3][4][5] It is named after the Angles, one of the ancient Germanic peoples that migrated to the island of Great Britain. Existing on a dialect continuum with Scots and then most closely related to the Low German and Frisian languages, English is genealogically Germanic. However, its vocabulary also shows major influences from French (about 28% of Modern English words) and Latin (also about 28%),^[6] plus some grammar and a small amount of core vocabulary influenced by Old Norse (a North Germanic language).^[7][8][9] Speakers of English are called Anglophones.

The earliest forms of English, collectively known as "Old English", evolved from a group of North Sea Germanic dialects brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlers in the 5th century and further mutated by Norse-speaking Viking settlers starting in the 8th and 9th centuries. Middle English began in the late 11th century after the Norman Conquest of England, when considerable Old French (especially Old Norman French) and Latin-derived vocabulary was incorporated into English over some three hundred years.^[10][11] Early Modern English began in the late 15th century with the start of the Great Vowel Shift and the Renaissance trend of borrowing further Latin and Greek words and roots into English, concurrent with the introduction of the printing press to London. This era notably culminated in the King James Bible and the works of William Shakespeare.^[12][13]

Modern English grammar is the result of a gradual change from a typical Indo-European dependent-marking pattern with a rich inflectional morphology and relatively free word order to a mostly analytic pattern with little inflection and a fairly fixed subject–verb–object word order.^[14] Modern English relies more on auxiliary verbs and word order for the expression of complex tenses, aspects and moods, as well as passive constructions, interrogatives, and some negation.

Modern English has spread around the world since the 17th century as a consequence of the worldwide influence of the British Empire and the United States of America. Through all types of printed and electronic media in these countries, English has become the leading language of international discourse and the lingua franca in many regions and professional contexts such as science, navigation, and law.^[3] English is the most spoken language in the world^[15] and the third most spoken native language in the world, after Standard Chinese and Spanish.^[16] It is the most widely learned second language and is either the official language or one of the official languages in 59 sovereign states. There are more people who have learned English as a second language than there are native speakers. As of 2005, it was estimated that there were over 2 billion speakers of English.^[17] English is the majority native language in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the Republic of Ireland (see Anglosphere) and is widely spoken in some areas of the Caribbean, Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Oceania.^[18] It is the co-official language of the United Nations, the European Union, and many other international and regional organisations. English accounts for at least 70% of speakers of the Germanic language branch of the Indo-European family.

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