The Role of Economic and Development Factors on Average National Exam Score at Primary, Junior Secondary, and Senior Secondary Level in Indonesia

The achievement of an education program can be measured from the results of national examination that is the average of national exam score. In Indonesia, it is measured through the average nilai evaluasi belajar tahap akhir (EBTANAS) nasional (national exam score)/NEM. The results of national examination are expected to be the portrait of the success of government program in education. This study aims to investigate the economic and development determinants of NEM in Indonesia. The data used came from the INDODAPOER of the World Bank that covered 440 districts with complete data in 2009. The dependent variables are the average of NEM at primary, junior secondary, and senior secondary level. The independent variables are the economic and development variables: education function expenditure and household access to electricity. The data was analyzed using the multivariate multiple regression. The results of the study show that education function expenditure and household access to electricity statistically have significant effect on education achievement. Better achievement in education is associated with higher education function expenditure and household access to electricity. Keywords: education, average national exam score, economic determinant, multivariate multiple regression, Indonesia