BLITAR – Blitar Academic Competency Test remains under evaluation after minor server disruptions briefly affected junior high school (SMP) exams. Despite the issue, the Education Office reported high student participation and smooth test implementation.

The Blitar Regency Education Office (Dispendik) said the technical problem came from the central server managed by the Ministry of Education. Officials stressed that the disruption lasted only a short time and did not affect the exams significantly.

Binti Mustholifah, Head of Curriculum at the Blitar Education Office, said the server issue happened briefly during the SMP-level Academic Competency Test (TKA). However, the system returned to normal quickly.

“Some time ago, there was a short problem from the central server, but it did not disrupt the exams. In a short time, everything returned to normal,” she said.

She explained that all TKA stages have generally run well without major obstacles. The SMP-level exams finished on April 16, while elementary school (SD) level tests, which started on April 20, are still ongoing.

According to Binti, the Education Office, supervisors, and related teams continue monitoring and evaluating the process in the field. So far, they have found that the exams are running in an orderly manner.

She added that student participation remains high across schools. Support facilities, including internet access and exam infrastructure, also meet the required standards.

“The students are in good health and all of them are taking the exams. Until now, we have not received any reports of students needing make-up tests,” she added.

Binti said strong participation also reflects intensive communication with schools and parents before the exams began. Although TKA is not mandatory, the results still play an important role in admissions.

The test scores become one of the considerations in the New Student Admission Selection (SPMB), especially for the academic achievement pathway at higher education levels.

Some students are highly motivated to achieve strong TKA scores. They see it as an alternative route to enter their preferred schools for the next education level.

“In addition to report card scores, the TKA result or SHTKA will also become one of the considerations in SPMB,” she said.

This year, more than 10,000 elementary school students across Blitar Regency are taking part in the TKA. They come from around 665 education units, including public and private schools.

The program also includes students from equivalency education programs. This makes participation wider across the region.

The Education Office hopes the remaining stages of the exams will continue without disruption until completion.

“We ask for prayers so that everything runs safely and smoothly until the end,” Binti concluded.