Central Kalimantan Delays 2026 TKA Exams Over Fire Haze as Papua Adjusts Dates

Fire haze and religious observances reshape the exam calendar

Central Kalimantan has moved its entire main schedule for Indonesia's 2026 upper secondary academic assessments to November because of forest and land fires, while six provinces in the Papua region have adjusted examination dates around a religious observance. The national Tes Kemampuan Akademik (TKA), or Academic Ability Test, began on October 26.

Students registered in Central Kalimantan will instead take their assessments during sessions running from November 16 to November 29. Their existing examination groups and session assignments will remain the basis for the revised arrangements. The change covers senior secondary schools, Islamic schools, vocational schools, special education schools and equivalent education programmes.

Papua's adjustments follow a different concern: the first examination day coincided with the anniversary of the Evangelical Christian Church in Papua. Several provinces have moved only the opening day, while Southwest Papua has moved both the first and second days.

The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, known as Kemendikdasmen, has also set out a route into replacement sessions for students elsewhere whose schools become unsafe on examination day. Results are scheduled for December 23, 2026.

Central Kalimantan moves all main sessions

Central Kalimantan's decision followed coordination on October 24 between the ministry's Education Assessment Centre, the provincial education office, the regional Ministry of Religious Affairs office and the provincial Education Quality Assurance Centre. Thick haze from forest and land fires prompted the postponement to protect students, teachers and examination staff.

The provincial arrangements cover both TKA and the National Assessment, known as Asesmen Nasional or AN. Schools across the affected education categories will move from the original October 26 to November 8 window into the replacement schedule. That includes SMA general senior secondary schools, MA Islamic senior secondary schools, SMK vocational schools, SMALB special education schools, Paket C equivalency programmes and PKPPS Ulya programmes at the equivalent level.

Education Minister Abdul Mu'ti said on October 26 that Central Kalimantan had formally written to the ministry seeking a separate schedule because of the fires. The practical change for families is a later examination date, with the previously assigned groups and sessions retained.

Which dates apply in Central Kalimantan?

Central Kalimantan's first regular examination group will move from October 26 to October 29 into November 16 to November 19. The second group will move from November 2 to November 5 into November 23 to November 26.

Both changes shift the start of the relevant group by 21 days, or three weeks. Keeping the group structure means schools can organise the later examinations around assignments already made rather than rebuilding the participant lists from the beginning.

Paket C, an education programme leading to qualifications equivalent to senior secondary school, has two special replacement periods. Its first stage is scheduled for November 21 to November 22, followed by the second stage on November 28 to November 29.

The provincial schedule is therefore:

• Regular Group 1: November 16 to November 19, 2026.
• Regular Group 2: November 23 to November 26, 2026.
• Paket C special Stage 1: November 21 to November 22, 2026.
• Paket C special Stage 2: November 28 to November 29, 2026.

An announcement following the October 24 coordination said a written circular or instruction from the provincial education office would follow. It gave no date for that document. Schools remain the point of contact for individual session details.

Papua provinces adopt different replacement days

Papua, Central Papua and South Papua have moved their first examination day from October 26 to October 31. Highland Papua has moved its opening day to November 21, while West Papua has moved it to November 16.

Southwest Papua has changed two days: its first examination day will be November 16 and its second will be November 17. The adjustments accommodate the anniversary of the Evangelical Christian Church in Papua.

Families in the Papua region therefore need the schedule for their own province. The three provinces moving to October 31 have a five day delay to their opening examination, while the first day in Highland Papua is 26 days later than originally planned.

Central Kalimantan's arrangements cover the full main examination schedule. Papua's announced changes concern particular examination days, with Southwest Papua explicitly moving two. Students should follow the replacement dates attached to those days and the session information issued by their schools.

Smoke was detected across 21 provinces

Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) recorded smoke in 21 provinces in its October 26 Forest and Land Fire Monitoring and Potential Factsheet. The observations came from Himawari 9 satellite imagery at 1 p.m. Western Indonesian Time, on the first day of the national TKA schedule.

The list included Central Kalimantan and all four other Kalimantan provinces. In the Papua region, smoke was detected in Southwest Papua, West Papua, Central Papua, Highland Papua and South Papua. Other affected provinces included South Sumatra, Riau Islands, Bangka Belitung Islands, several provinces in Sulawesi, Maluku and North Maluku.

BMKG also detected smoke travelling from Kalimantan towards the Malay Peninsula and Singapore. Smoke from Papua New Guinea was observed spreading into South Papua. This movement, often called transboundary haze, happens when winds carry smoke across national borders.

Central Kalimantan's postponement was tied to fire conditions, while the announced Papua timetable changes were tied to the church anniversary. Schools in areas experiencing smoke also fall within the ministry's broader requirement to consider current safety and health conditions when organising assessments.

How students enter replacement sessions

Rahmawati, head of the ministry's Education Assessment Centre, described a process for students who are registered for a regular session but cannot attend because conditions become unsafe. Students should report their situation to their own school or education provider.

The examination supervisor records the absence in the official examination report. That information then enters the data reconciliation process for prospective replacement participants. In simple terms, organisers check and bring together the records so affected students can be considered for a later session.

Toni Toharudin, head of the ministry's Basic and Secondary Education Policy Agency, said registration for students affected by disasters can be arranged through coordination with education offices or regional Ministry of Religious Affairs offices.

The responsible route depends on the education provider:

• Schools under education offices coordinate through the provincial education office.
• Equivalency education programmes coordinate through district or city education offices.
• Madrasahs under the Ministry of Religious Affairs coordinate through its regional office.

Rahmawati said local technical coordinators manage these arrangements. This gives students whose circumstances change close to examination day a route to a replacement session, even when they were initially preparing to attend the main examination.

Safety decisions can change after rehearsals

The ministry's position developed over several days. At the October 23 media briefing, Rahmawati said South Kalimantan and East Nusa Tenggara had formally requested schedule adjustments. Central Kalimantan had made initial contact, but its formal request had not yet reached the ministry. By October 26, Mu'ti said Central Kalimantan had submitted an official letter.

East Nusa Tenggara was still expected to proceed according to schedule after high participation in its rehearsal. Toni nevertheless warned that participation in a practice session was insufficient to judge whether a school would be safe on the actual examination day. He cited Jambi and East Nusa Tenggara when explaining why conditions needed to be checked again.

Disaster conditions can change daily, Rahmawati explained. A school that completes its technical preparations may later face unsafe conditions, so organisers must consider the situation when students are due to attend.

Key steps in the timetable are:

• October 23: Officials explained adjustment requests and the process for recording students for replacement examinations.
• October 24: Central Kalimantan agencies coordinated the province's move to the replacement schedule.
• October 25: Mu'ti stated that student and school community safety remained the ministry's priority.
• October 26: The national main examination period began, with Central Kalimantan postponed and Papua dates adjusted.
• November 16 to November 29: Replacement sessions are scheduled.
• December 23: TKA results are scheduled for announcement.

Access and student pressure also matter

Kurniasih Mufidayati, deputy chair of Commission X of Indonesia's House of Representatives, urged organisers to make replacement examinations easy to access for students facing emergencies. In her October 26 statement, she said students should not be compelled to take assessments when haze threatens their health.

Kurniasih also drew attention to devices, internet connections, electricity and technical assistance. Those requirements make the response broader than changing a date: schools need functioning equipment and support when students return for the later sessions.

The lawmaker asked teachers and parents to avoid presenting TKA as the single factor determining a child's educational future. She described the assessment as a way to measure academic achievement and identify learning that needs improvement, while recognising differences in students' abilities and learning progress.

Her concerns connect two practical needs. Students require a safe opportunity to attend, and they also need clear information and support so uncertainty about postponements does not add unnecessary pressure. Keeping existing group and session assignments in Central Kalimantan provides continuity while schools communicate the new dates.

The national calendar continues into December

The national regular examination periods are October 26 to October 29 for Group 1 and November 2 to November 5 for Group 2. Special sessions for compulsory subjects are October 31 to November 1, with elective subjects scheduled for November 7 to November 8.

The replacement calendar follows the same broad structure. Regular Group 1 runs from November 16 to November 19, and Group 2 from November 23 to November 26. Special replacement sessions for compulsory subjects are November 21 to November 22, followed by elective subjects on November 28 to November 29.

December 23 remains the announced results date. For students affected by the changes, the immediate task is to confirm their province's dates and their school's session arrangements. Students facing an unsafe examination day elsewhere have the reporting route through their education provider and local organisers.

Key Points

• Central Kalimantan moved all main TKA and National Assessment sessions to November because of forest and land fire haze.
• Its regular replacement groups run on November 16 to November 19 and November 23 to November 26.
• Paket C sessions are scheduled for November 21 to November 22 and November 28 to November 29.
• Six Papua provinces adjusted examination days around the anniversary of the Evangelical Christian Church in Papua.
• Students unable to attend safely can report to their schools for recording and consideration for replacement sessions.
• TKA results are scheduled for December 23, 2026.