The administration awaits results from a probe by its inspectorate on the misappropriation of School Operational Aid (BOS) and Education Operational Aid (BOP) in five junior high schools before acting against any officials involved.
Governor Fauzi Bowo said he wanted the report on any misappropriation of funds to be released soon.
“What’s clear now is that we should not take the law into our own hands before knowing who is responsible,” he said on Tuesday.
On Monday, Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) reported its finding on a corruption allegation in one of the schools, State Junior High School No. 28 (SMPN 28) in Johar Baru, Central Jakarta.
ICW alleges school officials misappropriated funds from central government’s BOS and Jakarta administration’s BOP between 2007 and 2008.
Under the BOS, schools receive Rp 47,900 (US$5.18) per eligible student per month, while under
the BOP, each eligible student receives Rp 110,000 a month. Funds are earmarked to help finance school activities, including stationery and books.
Head of the Education Agency Taufik Yudi claimed the schools had run the aid programs as regulated.
“Maybe there are misunderstanding between the mother schools and the study centers on the amount of disbursement,” he said.
Taufik said the agency gave more guidance to the reported schools after the media reported corruption allegations last year.
“Besides, many study centers don’t report complaints,” he said.
Most of the principals whose schools were reported were moved to other junior high schools, including the principal of SMPN 28.
Sri Eko, the principal of Junior High School No. 95 in North Jakarta said she joined the school in 2009.
She refused to comment on the previous case before she took over, saying she had no authority to do so.
ICW senior researcher Febri Hendri claimed the school had not disbursed all of the money intended for the Johar Baru Independent Study Center (TKBM), causing a potential state loss of Rp 390 million.
He said there might be similar circumstances in seven other study centers in five Junior High Schools.
“The study centers did not know that they were entitled to certain amounts of funding under the BOS and BOP schemes. They thought funds disbursed by the mother schools were charity,” he said.
Febri said the study centers later learned their entitlement after meeting with Study Center forum chairwoman Ade Pujiati who managed a properly funded study center.
He said ICW would report the case to the Prosecutors Office.
Febri said BOS and BOP were a social support from central and local governments, which should not be treated in the same way as the BLT (government cash aid for the poor) in terms of financial reporting.
“There is a mechanism for using BOS and BOP. If the schools fail to absorb the funds, they should return them to the state or city,” he said.
He said the mother schools should teach the study centers on how to run programs with costs in line with the funding to which they were eligible.
On the graft case allegations, Febri said, the mother schools also did not inform the funding and technical programs under them on the need for making a financial report.
