Parents Posing as Officials Attempt to Sway SPMB Admissions at Semarang State High Schools

Several state high schools in Semarang, Central Java, have acknowledged receiving attempts from parents to ‘entrust’ their children during the New Student Admission (SPMB) process by claiming to be officials or close to certain officials. However, the schools rejected these requests. Achmad Fauzan, Vice Principal for Student Affairs at SMAN 3 Semarang, admitted there were parents who claimed to be officials or close to officials in order to enrol their children without following the proper channels, which are based on domicile, achievement, affirmation, and transfer. SMAN 3 Semarang is one of the city’s favourite and leading schools. ‘There are many,’ Fauzan said when interviewed and asked whether there were parents claiming to be officials trying to get their children into SMAN 3 Semarang outside the official pathways on Wednesday (24/6/2026). However, he declined to specify the exact number of parents who did so. ‘It’s not comfortable to mention the number. But we have them here too. They call, ask for help, ’Is there another way?’. We tell them there isn’t,’ Fauzan said. When receiving such requests from parents, Fauzan, who also serves as the chair of the SPMB committee at SMAN 3, always explains that new student admissions at his school can only be done through the domicile, achievement, affirmation, and transfer pathways. ‘We emphasise to them that everything is by the system. No deposits, no jastip (illegal paid services), no special routes, only those four,’ he stated. A similar situation was revealed by the Chair of the SPMB Committee at SMAN 1 Semarang, Budi Handoyo. He said there were parents who claimed to be close to officials. Their motivation in conveying this was so that their children could enter the school without going through the official channels. ‘We convey no deposits, no jastip. We emphasise that everything is in accordance with the system. If they don’t get in (the quota), there is a reserve list,’ Budi said. Like SMAN 3 Semarang, SMAN 1 Semarang is also one of the city’s favourite and leading schools. Meanwhile, the Head of the Central Java Provincial Education Office, Sadimin, stated that the SPMB process in Central Java is carried out transparently. ‘The 2026 Central Java SPMB: no deposits, no jastip,’ he said. He explained that the quota for state high schools, state vocational schools, and state special needs schools in the 2026 SPMB is 231,724 students. This number represents approximately 40.83 percent of junior high school graduates in Central Java. Sadimin also stressed that for state high schools, state vocational schools, and state special needs schools, all school operational costs are free. ‘School operational costs in all state high school, state vocational school, and state special needs school education units are without levies on students or parents,’ he said.