Every morning, Munfangat prepares bowls filled with spoonfuls of shredded chicken meat, rice noodles and a bit of leek at state high school SMA 42 in East Jakarta. He then leaves the canteen unattended to work in the school garden.

"Students who want to buy my chicken soup, can add broth from the cooking pot to the bowl themselves," Munfangat said.

The buyers put the money in a desk drawer, which has no lock on it.

"I have been doing this for the past four years. I have never counted how much I earn from the stall, but I know that I never suffer any losses," said the 61-year-old father of two, who goes back to his kampung in Banjarnegara, Central Java, each month.

Munfangat, or better known as Pakde Pangat (Uncle Pangat) among the students, has been working as the school's gardener since 1970.

Pakde Pangat said he used the income from the chicken soup stall to pay for his youngest daughter's education at a private university in Purwokerto, Central Java.

"If I suffered any losses, I would not have been able do my weekly shop for the stall, instead I would have closed it four years ago, right?" he told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

He said not all students were honest.

"Of course there are a few that take fritters from my stall without paying, but that does not worry me at all because there are more who are honest."

Fira and Kakha, 11th graders at the school, said, "Pakde's money box is never locked, but we have never had the heart to steal from him. It is just a matter of trust."

In October, the school followed Pakde Pangat's practice by opening an "honesty canteen" selling food and stationery run by members of the student body.

The school, along with two other high schools in Jambi and Minahasa, were commended by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Attorney General Hendarman Supandji during World Anti-Corruption Day recently for getting back 80 percent of their initial investment and 30 percent profit from the sales.

World Anti-Corruption Day falls on Dec. 9 each year.

There are 2,711 honesty canteens nationwide, according to the Attorney General's Office (AGO).

Ade Irawan from Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW), however, doubted the canteen system would reduce corruption in the country.

"Ideally the war against corruption should start in educational institutions not by opening canteens, but rather through creating more transparent and accountable school budgets, involving all stakeholders, including teachers, parents and prominent community figures," he said.

"Ironically, schools are currently still the place to learn about corruption first hand."

Ade estimated that over 70 percent of teachers nationwide had never seen a school budget let alone been engaged in the decision making process. School budgets are usually drafted in secret by corrupt principals or local education office heads, he added.

"The administration does not have a regulation concerning school budgets. The administration only provides the format. It does regulate the decision making process," Ade said.

"The corrupt structure of schools must be fixed through its very backbone, the school budgeting system."

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