IT was past midnight when Tempo reporter Heru Triyono met with Education and Culture Minister Mohammad Nuh at a hotel in Bali, two weeks ago. Nuh looked as if he had just woken up from a sleep. His hair was tousled and his eyes drooped. But he insisted on being interviewed. "Many things need to be explained," said Nuh.

The previous morning he was still in the Jakarta area, observing national exams being held at State Junior High School 241 at Ti