Digitalization of SMA/SMK Student Admission to Improve Transparency and Accountability in Sumedang Regency

Sep 5, 2026

This study examines how the digitalization of the 2024 senior high school student admission system (PPDB SMA/SMK) enhances transparency and accountability in public education services in Sumedang Regency, Indonesia. Employing a qualitative case study approach, data were collected through document analysis, system observation, and in-depth interviews with PPDB committees and members of the anti-illegal levies task force during the 2024 admission period. Findings indicate that realtime quota disclosure, automated selection algorithms, and publicly accessible rankings reduce information asymmetry and discretionary practices, while standardized procedures and external oversight strengthen accountability.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages8

Reading Time20 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Digital governance and administrative reform

PPDB challenges prior to digitalization

Online PPDB design and transparency mechanisms

Research gap and study focus

Digitalization of SMA/SMK Student Admission to Improve Transparency and Accountability in Sumedang Regency Akadun UNSAP, Anggrek Situ No, 19, Sumedang, Indonesia [Corresponding Author:](Corresponding Author: Akadun akadun@unsap.ac.id)[ Akadun](Corresponding Author: Akadun akadun@unsap.ac.id)[ ](Corresponding Author: Akadun akadun@unsap.ac.id)[akadun@unsap.ac.id](Corresponding Author: Akadun akadun@unsap.ac.id) A R T I C L E I N F O Keywords: Digital Governance, Transparency, Accountability, Education Public Services Received : 05, November Revised : 28, November Accepted: 30, December ©2025 Akadun: This is an openaccess article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Atribusi 4.0 Internasional. A B S T R A C T This study examines how the digitalization of the 2024 senior high school student admission system (PPDB SMA/SMK) enhances transparency and accountability in public education services in Sumedang Regency, Indonesia. Employing a qualitative case study approach, data were collected through document analysis, system observation, and in-depth interviews with PPDB committees and members of the anti-illegal levies task force during the 2024 admission period. The findings reveal that realtime quota disclosure, automated selection algorithms, and publicly accessible rankings substantially reduce information asymmetry and discretionary practices. Accountability is further reinforced through standardized procedures and external oversight mechanisms. The novelty of this study lies in integrating digital governance analysis with anti-corruption oversight perspectives, offering empirical insights into how digital admission platforms operationalize transparency and accountability within decentralized education governance contexts. INTRODUCTION The rapid advancement of information and communication technology (ICT) has fundamentally transformed how governments design and deliver public services. Digital technology is no longer viewed merely as a technical support tool but has become a core driver of administrative reform and governance innovation. Recent public administration literature emphasizes that digital governance enables governments to enhance efficiency, responsiveness, transparency, and accountability while reducing bureaucratic complexity and discretionary practices (Criado, Sandoval-Almazan, & Gil-Garcia, 2021; Mergel, Edelmann, & Haug, 2021). In this context, digital transformation is increasingly positioned as a strategic response to rising public demands for open, fair, and accountable government performance. In the education sector, digital transformation holds particular importance due to the scale of service beneficiaries and the strategic role of education in national development. Education services involve complex administrative processes that require objectivity, fairness, and equal access. One of the most critical and sensitive processes is student admission, which directly determines access to public education institutions. Prior to digitalization, conventional admission systems in many developing countries were frequently associated with opaque procedures, limited information disclosure, favoritism, and opportunities for data manipulation, ultimately undermining public trust (UNESCO, 2021; World Bank, 2022) . In Indonesia, the Penerimaan Peserta Didik Baru (PPDB) system represents a major public service that affects millions of households annually. Historically, PPDB implementation faced persistent challenges such as unclear selection criteria, weak information transparency, and public complaints regarding fairness in student placement. These conditions reflect information asymmetry between public institutions and citizens, which limits effective public oversight and weakens accountability (Schillemans & Bovens, 2021) . To address these governance issues, the Indonesian government introduced online PPDB as part of a broader agenda of digital bureaucracy reform and smart go

FAQs

What does the study investigate about PPDB SMA/SMK digitalization?

The study investigates how digitalization of the 2024 PPDB SMA/SMK system improves transparency and accountability in public education services in Sumedang Regency.

How was data collected for this research?

Data were collected using document analysis, system observation, and in-depth interviews with PPDB committees and members of the anti-illegal levies task force during the 2024 admission period.

Which mechanisms help reduce information asymmetry in the digital PPDB system?

Realtime quota disclosure, automated selection algorithms, and publicly accessible rankings reduce information asymmetry and limit discretionary practices.

Sep 5, 2026

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