"Can you count to 10?" a first grade teacher at the state elementary school No. 8 in Pondok Bambu, East Jakarta, asks a six-year-old boy.
"I can count to 20," the boy proudly replies.
"OK, then, show me," says the teacher.
Ability to count to 10 was one of the standard questions asked of six and seven-year-old children who wanted to enroll in state elementary school on the first day of city-wide admission. Enrollment, free of charge, is open from Monday until Wednesday.
Other questions include "How old are you?", "What is your father's name?", "Can you write your name down?" and "What color is this?"
"We want to make sure that the children applying are physically and mentally healthy," said Tati, a first grade teacher who has been teaching at the school since 2000.
"We don't want to repeat a mistake a few years ago when we accepted a child with a disability, who should have gone to a special needs school."
"We also want to make sure that the age of the children applying at this school is according to the regulation, between six and seven," Tati said.
On the first day of enrollment, the school interviewed more than 35 children, who were brought by their parents.
"We are targeting to receive 76 new first grade students this year," said Sri, another teacher.
A classroom turned into a temporary interview room was packed with parents and children queuing for their interviews.
Ibu Sutoyo, mother of six-year-old Maskur, said that admission was free of charge.
"But I probably have to pay for book and uniform expenses if my son passes the selection," she said.
"I heard last year this school charged new students Rp 1.2 million for these expenses. I hope I can get some discount for my son, this year," said the mother of four, adding that another school located next to No. 8 requested Rp 650,000.
Another parent, Asti, said she had registered her daughter at two state elementary schools.
"I also registered my daughter at No. 3, which requested Rp 500,000 for books and uniforms."
Teachers and principals, however, provided different information.
Principals of state elementary school No. 3 and No. 2 in Pondok Bambu, East Jakarta, Rosmala Dewi and Achmadi, said the schools did not charge parents anything.
"We will give students free books, while uniforms are optional to buy, which won't cost more than Rp 100,000," Rosmala said.
Nurhayati, a teacher at state elementary school No. 1, East Jakarta, said that more than 80 parents took the school's admission forms.
She said school and sports uniforms were optional, while the school would lend the students books.
There are 16 state elementary schools in Pondok Bambu subdistrict that will receive 800 first graders this year.
The city's elementary education sub-agency head, Zaenal Soleman, recently estimated that there would be 39,000 to 40,000 new first graders in the total of 704 state elementary schools in East Jakarta this year.
