F

rom the new school year onward, the administration will retract Jakarta Smart Cards (KJP) from those students who smoke, to reduce the number of young smokers in the capital.

In 2014, the Health Ministry revealed there were 66 million young smokers aged 16 to 19 in Indonesia, 30 percent of which were from lower-class families.

Governor Basuki '€œAhok'€ Tjahaja Purnama said he had received reports from teachers that said many KJP recipients often misused the money they received to buy cigarettes instead of books and uniforms.

'€œIf the students are smokers, then it is very likely that they use the money to buy cigarettes. Students like this do not deserve educational support from the city administration,'€ Ahok told reporters at City Hall on Monday.

In the KJP system, which was introduced in 2012, needy students receive educational support from the administration.

Eligible elementary school students receive Rp 180,000 (US$13.68) per month from the administration, junior high school students receive Rp 210,000, while senior high school and vocational high school students receive Rp 240,000.

The funds may be used to buy books, uniforms and other things to support a student'€™s education.

This year, the administration has earmarked Rp 2.4 trillion for 489,150 recipients, lower than last year'€™s Rp 3 trillion for 575,670 students.

'€œWe want to make sure that students who receive the KJP deserve it. Therefore, we will tighten requirements for recipients. In the future, students whose parents smoke will also not receive KJPs, but we are still discussing the technical details such as supervision,'€ Ahok said.

Separately, Education Agency head Arie Budhiman said that starting from this year, teachers would have the important role of selecting eligible students.

'€œTeachers know their students and I'€™m sure they know which of their students smoke. Schools also conduct cigarette raids. Students found with cigarettes in their bags will be blacklisted by the school,'€ Arie said over the phone.

He said that the system aimed to stop smoking among young people, which could cause serious illnesses in the long term.

'€œWe want to teach children that smoking is not good for their health,'€ Arie said.

City Council Commission E on welfare member Steven Setiabudi Musa of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) said that the commission fully supported the city'€™s plan.

'€œIt is a very good plan and we fully support it. It is not good for children to smoke from a young age. Getting addicted to cigarettes often starts at a young age,'€ Steven said over the phone.