D

eputy Governor Basuki '€œAhok'€ Tjahaja Purnama will discharge a school headmaster over corruption allegations in the distribution of the Jakarta Smart Card (KJP) student-allowance program.

He said on Thursday that an investigation by the Education Agency was still ongoing over reports that the students of vocational school SMKN 58 in Cipayung, East Jakarta, were asked to pay a sum of money to receive the cards.

'€œAll of those found involved in taking illegal levies from the students should be dismissed. In fact, they should be reported to the police.

'€œEven if it was not the headmaster who collected the money, none of this could happen without the consent of the headmaster,'€ he said.

A number of online news media reported that a number of students in SMKN 58 were asked to pay Rp 50,000 (US$4.10) in order to get the KJP cards.

A grade 12 student, identified as BY, said the administrative staffer asked him to pay Rp 50,000 before being allowed to physically receive the card.

'€œThe reason given it was an administrative fee. Some students refused to pay but others paid it so they could take the card,'€ he said, as quoted by beritajakarta.com.

Another student, identified as DY, 17, said the same staffer, identified as ES, also collected a fee from him .

'€œI am confused. They said the card was free, but I had to pay for Rp 50,000. I finally gave the money just so I could get the card,'€ he said.

SMKN 58 headmaster Ngatimin said he did not deny the practice existed but he refused to say that it was mandatory. He said the fund collection was voluntarily. Ngatimin also emphasized that the money had been returned to the students.

Ngatimin said only 170 out of 242 students actually paid the fee.

Education Agency head Taufik Yudi Mulyanto said the perpetrator was a contracted administrative staffer, not a civil servant.

'€œHe has admitted his wrongdoing and will take full responsibility for it,'€ he said, adding that it was for personal interests and not in the name of the school.

'€œWe have summoned the headmaster and the agency will punish the individual accordingly,'€ he said, adding that he was still considering the appropriate sanction.

Taufik said the students whose names were published on the KJP website can get the cards at various branch offices of Bank DKI.

'€œIt is not permissible to distribute the cards and the allowance in schools,'€ he said, and added that it was the student'€™s rights and the school must not intervene.

Taufik said his agency would keep monitoring the program and receiving public complaints on the implementation of the program.

The city administration currently has no clear mechanism to monitor the distribution of the funds. It relies on public complaints to find out about any irregularities.

Students only need to submit relief letters (SKTM) to register for the KJP program.

The cards, which are actually a bank DKI ATM card, contain Rp 240,000 for high school students, Rp 210,000 for junior high school students and Rp 180,000 for elementary school students. The funds can be withdrawn every three months.

It is intended to fulfill students'€™ educational needs, including books, uniforms, transportation fees and lunch money.

According to the 2014 city budget draft, the city administration allocated Rp 799.81 billion for the KJP program.

Around 700,000 students ranging from elementary school to senior high school students, both private and public, were able to enjoy the benefits of the program last year.