Education agency's graft probed

JAKARTA (JP): Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso ordered the city inspectorate on Wednesday to probe alleged corruption worth billions of rupiah at the city's education agency.

Sutiyoso vowed to take stern action against the agency's officials if the inspectorate found any irregularities.

However, the agency's head, Masrul Nim, denied the allegations, which were made by a non-governmental organization, Nation's Education Care, on Tuesday saying the agency had been conducting its affairs according to procedures.

"The chairman of Nation's Education Care, Saidin Yusuf, once asked for a book purchasing contract. We rejected his request as he had to submit his tender for the contract," Masrul said on Wednesday.

Yusuf from Nation's Education Care alleged the agency had been swindling at least Rp 5 billion a year since 1997 in the purchasing of white boards, and books from state-owned book company PT Balai Pustaka, and fees for urine tests for thousands of elementary students.

Yusuf said the agency charged students Rp 50,000 for a urine test and spent Rp 1 billion to purchase white boards.

Masrul, however, said his agency had never conducted the urine tests, and that the cost of purchasing the white boards was only Rp 400 million. (jun)