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arents have taken to the Jakarta administration’s flagship education program, the Jakarta Smart Card (KJP), as it helps them meet the needs of their children, from necessary school supplies to nutritious food, but concerns have been raised about the possible misuse of the cash provided by the revamped KJP Plus.

Dwi Saptuti, 39, bought some rice, cooking oil and instant noodles, all worth about Rp 200,000 (US$14), at Palmerah Market in Central Jakarta using the KJP Plus card for his 17-year-old son, a vocational school student.

Besides helping parents meet essential needs, the KJP Plus card also provides Rp 100,000 in cash monthly that they can withdraw through city-owned lender Bank DKI’s ATMs.

“We use the Rp 100,000 for my son’s transportation costs, but he walks to school every day so the money is basically his pocket money,” Dwi told The Jakarta Post recently.

As for Eneng, 37, she saves the cash assistance from her two sons’ KJP Plus cards for emergency school needs. She said she recently bought a jacket that cost Rp 150,000 for her eldest son for a school trip, in addition to using the money for other school needs.

The KJP scheme was introduced in 2013 by then-Jakarta governor Joko “Jokowi” Widodo to help underprivileged students procure school-related goods.

During Jokowi’s tenure as governor, the city administration allowed junior high and senior high school KJP recipients to withdraw up to Rp 50,000 in cash a week and elementary school students up to Rp 50,000 every two weeks.

Following reports of misuse, as many students and parents used the KJP funds to buy non-school-related goods, former Jakarta governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama, who replaced Jokowi after he was elected president, changed the system into a cashless scheme to prevent improper practices.

The administration of Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan turned the program into KJP Plus in 2018. The “plus” indicated there were additional provisions for recipients, allowing them to again withdraw cash.

The administration limits the amount of money that can be withdrawn, depending on the level of education. Elementary school recipients can get Rp 250,000 to be spent on books, uniform and bags and Rp 100,000 in cash every month. Junior high school recipients can get Rp 300,000 for supplies and Rp 150,000 in cash per month, high school recipients receive Rp 420,000 for supplies and Rp 200,000 in cash per month, while vocational school students receive Rp 450,000 for supplies and another Rp 200,000 in cash every month.

Anies’ administration allocated Rp 3.9 trillion for the program in 2018, an increase of 25 percent from the previous year.

The city administration had issued 905,000 cards to students, of whom there are a total of 1.9 million in the capital city.

However, critics have said the current KJP Plus scheme has opened up room for misuse.

Jakarta Residents Forum (Fakta) activist Azas Tigor Nainggolan said poor monitoring allowed the withdrawn cash to be spent on things other than school needs. He urged that all purchases made using the KJP card be reported to the city administration.

“The transfer mechanism should be evaluated because now it is not under control anymore,” Tigor said.

Sumiati, an East Jakarta resident, said the parents of card holders in her area had used the cash not for their children, but to buy things like cosmetics and clothing for themselves. However, she declined to provide names.

The head of the Jakarta Education Agency’s personal funding and operations unit, Jhones Albert, admitted that the agency could not monitor all spending made using the withdrawn cash. He said it was intended to cover transportation costs for students as some schools could not be reached by Transjakarta buses, which did not charge card holders.

“However, we’ve informed and warned cardholders that if we find any misuse, we will block their cards,” Jhones said.

He urged citizens who have uncovered instances of misuse to report them to the city’s official complaint channels, including to the Jakarta Education Agency and state schools, with valid evidence.