Agency calls score buying 'appalling'
JAKARTA (JP): The Agency for Pancasila Propagation has expressed deep concern over reports that many teachers in Bekasi sold high marks to parents who want their children admitted to prestigious schools.
The agency's chief R. Soeprapto told Antara yesterday that the conspiracy involving school teachers, headmasters and parents to jack-up students' final scores is "appalling".
Soeprapto said that problem stems from parents anxious to get their children, whose actual academic proficiency is highly questionable, admitted to prominent schools.
"Those parents serve their ego and don't care whether their children will be able to follow their classes in the new school," said Soeprapto, who is a former expert staff member at the ministry of education and culture.
Buying final scores is reportedly common at several junior and senior schools in Bekasi.
The trend, Soeprapto said, is the result of rapid development which has widened the gap between the rich and the poor.
"Teachers are among those who have not benefited from the rapid economic development," he said.
He added that the existing public schools cannot accommodate the increasing number of graduates from lower level schools, making competition even tighter.
The scam was revealed shortly after school registration for the new term beginning July 17 closed on June 30. Anomalies included unbelievable high marks and inconsistency between final exam scores and semester reports.
Antara reported that some teachers approached parents, saying they could help children get higher marks for an agreed-upon sum of money. In other cases, parents approached the teachers to make the same deal.
One parent was guaranteed by a teacher that his son would be admitted to a popular state junior high school for Rp 400,000 (US$180).
"My son's final score was only 43.46 while the particular school sets the minimum score at 45.88. This teacher told me it would be okay if I could pay him Rp 400,000," the parent said.
Another parent claimed that he had to pay a Rp 600,000 bribe to get his son admitted to a state junior high school in Bekasi. "My son's score was only 35.8 and I was told I had to pay Rp 600,000 to cover it up," he said.
The latter said he "could not understand" why his son's score was so low because the student is well known for his various academic achievements at school.
"I protested to the local (Bekasi) office of education (over the low score) but they didn't take my report seriously," the parent said.
One Bekasi school has become the butt of jokes because many of its students have received final marks above 46, even though only five subjects, each with a maximum score of 10, were tested. (pan)