Some Indonesian state schools offer international standard classes to their students. These classes are supposed to be taught in English, but in reality, students and teachers speak plenty of Indonesian.

"Generally, I ask my teachers questions in Indonesian during class. When I'm in a good mood, I use English. It all depends on our self-awareness," said Danny (not his real name) a tenth grader of an international class in senior high school No. 13 in North Jakarta.

The school has two international classes, with 16 ninth graders and a 26 tenth graders. To keep up with international standards, five core subjects -- biology, physics, chemistry, math and English -- are all supposedly conducted in an English-spoken environment.

Other subjects with local content, like history, Indonesian, civics and sport, are conducted in Indonesian.

"My teachers often get confused themselves. They start a sentence in English and finish it in Indonesian, especially when they are explaining difficult subjects," Danny said.

To be eligible for the international classes, students need to take multiple-choice exams on the five core subjects, as well as have an interview with the school management, which their parents must also attend.

"I wish to continue studying abroad. My school said the certificate from this class is recognized in all schools abroad," he said.

However, he said, not all students with the certificate would be accepted into universities abroad. "It still depends to our grades."

His parents paid Rp 11.8 million in installments for Danny's first year, while in the second year, they paid Rp 12 million. His schoolmates in regular classes paid a bit less, Rp 275,000 of monthly school fees plus a Rp 4 million enrollment fee in the first year.

The extra fee for joining the international classes is different in every school.

CLASS ACT: Students perform in front of their seniors at state high school No.68 in Central Jakarta. Their international-standard class uses the Cambridge curriculum. (JP/Ricky Yudhistira)

"Parents of students who want to attend international classes in the state national high school No. 68 need to pay Rp 25 million to Rp 30 million annually," said Alex Yusfar, whose daughter took regular classes at the school and recently graduated.

The school started running international classes based on the Cambridge curriculum in 2005.

"Ridiculously, I found out the money paid by parents for regular classes was also used to pay for the international class facilities, such as classroom and office renovations, air-conditioning, laptops and PCs, and even the principal's study tour abroad," Alex said.

Based on school financial reports, he estimated that between 2005 and 2006 more than Rp 190 million in funds for regular classes had been used for international classes. "This means students from less wealthy families were subsidizing the wealthier ones," said Alex, who paid a Rp 6 million enrollment fee and Rp 250,000 in monthly school fees for his daughter, a student in the school's regular classes.

"I think 'international standard' for a state school is merely a label to get more money out of wealthy parents who are not well-informed," Alex said.

"Only the rich can take those kinds of classes. The classes tend to be based on the financial capability of the students' parents, not their academic capability.

"Schools are too commercialized these days without adequate control in quality," education expert, Mochtar Buchori, said.

"If the word is used to refer to good quality, it is absolutely incorrect."

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