The zonation system policy in the PPDB (New Student Registration) public schools, implemented in 2017, continues to reap dissatisfaction. With the zonation system, public schools must accept prospective students with the closest domicile to the school.
In the initial design, the allocation of the zonation path was at least 90 percent of the quota for new student admissions, 5 percent of the achievement path, and 5 percent of the parent/guardian’s domicile transfer path. In 2018 this scheme was changed where the allocation of the zonation line was reduced to a minimum of 80 percent, the achievement track was increased to 15 percent, and the parent/guardian domicile transfer route was 5 percent. This scheme changed again in 2019; the allocation for the zonation line was reduced to a minimum of 50 percent. The affirmation path was at least 15 percent, the achievement path was up to 30 percent, and the parent/guardian domicile transfer route was 5 percent as public complaints and chaos emerged in the field.
The zonation system in the PPDB received widespread opposition and caused a lot of confusion. With a system that is very different from the system that has been running well so far, which is based on academic achievement, the adoption of the zonation system has caused a lot of harm to the rights of students. The unequal geographical distribution of public schools is detrimental to prospective students who live far from the location of public schools. The unequal geographical distribution of schools has flooded some schools with applicants while others have no interest. In 2019, 580 sub-districts throughout Indonesia did not yet have a public high school.
