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ANDUNG: The Bandung municipal administration in West Java has requested police assistance in dealing with parents who falsely claim to be poor when enrolling their children in school.

The city'€™s Education Agency head, Elih Sudiapermana, said according to existing rules, state schools in Bandung must allocate at least 20 percent of their seats to students from poor families. Parents who sign up their children under this quota must attach an official relief letter, or SKTM, along with other supporting documents.

Elih, however, said that this year the agency was verifying the SKTMs submitted to schools due to a significant surge in the number of applicants compared to last year. Initial assessment, she said, had found that many parents were actually not eligible for the SKTM.

'€œWe estimate around 1,000 SKTM holders enrolling their children in high schools and vocational schools will see their registration fail. That number could increase because we have yet to hold an evaluation meeting after the enrollment period ends,'€ he said on Friday.

Bandung Police chief Sr. Comr. Angesta Romano Yoyol said police had obtained various evidence and data relating to SKTM forgery.

'€œWe have found 600 SKTM holders living in permanent homes across 151 subdistricts, although they are not eligible to hold the SKTM,'€ he said, adding that falsifying such a document could constitute a crime.