Tight control of school exam fee exemption sought

JAKARTA (JP): School principals have urged the city administration to ensure that elementary schools are not collecting money from its students, who are exempted from paying their final exam fees, in other forms.

Muchlis Rangkuti, principal of Madrasah Ibtidaiyah Al Wasliyah, a private Islamic elementary school in Kayumanis, East Jakarta, told The Jakarta Post recently that he welcomed the policy of exempting elementary school students from paying the final exam fees.

"But, has the administration anticipated that schools may use other reasons to collect money from students?" Rangkuti said.

"Schools usually hold a farewell party or picnic after the final examinations. Let us presume the school has estimated the cost of a farewell party or picnic per student is Rp 25,000 (US$2.50).

"The school could ask each student to pay Rp 50,000 instead. So, this would actually cover the student's exam fees, and the parents would have been deceived," he said.

Although the city administration announced last month that both state and private elementary school students in the capital would be exempt from paying this year's state final exam fees, a decree from the central government to that effect has yet to be issued.

However, the administration has reportedly allocated Rp 1.3 billion of the city budget to only free state elementary school students from the state exam fees, while the fate of private elementary schools is to be decided after the central government issues a decree.

Rangkuti said it should be up to the administration to decide whether to treat state and private elementary schools equally as both institutions have the same function.

"Why should the administration wait for the central government's decree to also exempt private school students (from paying the state final exam fees)?

"Private schools have helped the administration provide seats for students who have been rejected by state elementary schools," he said.

He said Islamic private schools were now using the same uniform as state schools.

"The uniform of Islamic school students used to be predominantly green. But now we use the same uniform as the state schools do," he said.

Separately, Yenni Mirmaniza, principal of 01 Srengseng Sawah Elementary School in South Jakarta told the Post that her school had stopped collecting exam fees from students since the city administration instructed state elementary schools to stop doing so in 1999.

"I am afraid of collecting money from students because it is a sensitive issue now. I don't have the heart to do so either," she said.

She said her school managed to take their students for a farewell picnic in Puncak, Bogor, last year as one student's parents sponsored the trip.

"This school will not collect any money from students other than the Rp 7,500 monthly school tuition," she said.

Similarly, Sutarti, principal of 03 Srengseng Sawah Elementary School in Jagakarsa, South Jakarta, said her school had also stopped collecting fees, other than the school tuition, from students since 1999.

Some parents, however, said different things.

A mother whose daughter goes to a state elementary school in South Jakarta said that as of September last year, the school had collected Rp 25,000 per month from each student for exam fees.

"This includes funds to buy snacks and lunch for the teachers who are on duty during the exams," she said.

She said that she learned from newspapers and television that students would be exempt from the fees. "But it is all a big lie," she said. "There is no way they will return the money."

"I asked a teacher about this and she said that the school had not received any official information about the matter."

According to the City Education Agency a total of 141,742 elementary school students will sit for the state final exams slated from June 11 to June 13. They comprise 97,654 state school students and 44,088 private school students.

Jakarta has 2,423 state elementary schools and 2,248 private elementary schools.

The exam cost of each elementary school student is Rp 18,200 ($1.91), while that of each Madrasah Ibtidaiyah Islamic elementary school student is Rp 29,000 ($3.05). (01/sim)