Irregularities mar new admission system

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Although many people have lauded the new student admission system that is expected to prevent corruption and collusion at high schools, its implementation has reportedly been tainted by irregularities.

One parent, "Ruwita", who resides in Kebayoran Lama, South Jakarta, said that her friend had to pay Rp 5 million (US$580) for her son's admission to a state school in Kebon Jeruk, West Jakarta.

"My friend told me that her son was admitted despite his low grades, thanks to the help of a teacher," Ruwita told The Jakarta Post.

Ruwita is looking for a school for her son and nephew as neither have been accepted at any high school.

Previously, students could only register at state schools near their residence. Now, however, they are free to register anywhere. There is no admission test as students are accepted based on their grades, which are displayed on a chart at the school.

Meanwhile, Wati, a resident of Kebon Jeruk, West Jakarta, said that she would agree to paying higher admission fees should the school ask for more, provided her son was admitted.

"We're in a difficult situation as my son's grades are low. I'll do my best to look for a school for my son, and offer bribes if necessary as a last resort," Wati said.

She said her son's grades were higher than the students with the lowest grades that were accepted at the school.

"It's my fault," she explained, "I took the document upon seeing that my son's position on the chart was unsafe and applied to other schools," Wati said.

Her friend, Ita, said that when she first came to register her son, she was told that his grades were too low. Later in the day, she got a phone call from a teacher at the school, asking her to meet him.

Ita came to the school, but the teacher claimed he did not call her. "Maybe that's because there were many other people in the room," Wati said.

Many weary and confused parents along with their children were seen trying to secure a seat at some high schools. Some schools, including SMU (high school) 10 in Mangga Besar, Central Jakarta, and SMU 6 in Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta, stated earlier that they would open a second admission period to fill available seats.

At SMU 68 in Central Jakarta and SMU 24 in West Jakarta, three students from each school failed to appear for confirmation on Monday, and their names were automatically taken off the list.

Meanwhile, Herwin Sinaga, the chairman of the admission committee of SMU 68, said that dozens of parents had attempted to negotiate their children's entry by offering a large amount of money.

However, he denied allegations that there were teachers who were involved in bribing or colluding with parents.

"The risk is too great for me. I don't want to lose my 20-year career over such a trivial matter," Herwin said.

He also said his son did not apply to SMU 68 due to his low grades. "Instead, I told him to apply to other high schools which accept students with low grades."

Herwin's school has so far admitted students whose grades are between 39 and 48.

Similarly, Nurdin, the chairman of the admission division of SMU 24 in Central Jakarta, said that many parents had offered him bribes.

"But I said 'no' to them. It's impossible to alter the admission process as the new system is very transparent and fair," Nurdin said.

According to data from the city's education office, there are 30,997 seats available at state high schools in Jakarta, while students applying for them number 52,593 from Jakarta and other regions outside the capital.