Syofiardi Bachyul Jb and Khairul Saleh, Padang/Palembang – At least 78 students in Padang, West Sumatra, walked out of the national exams in a protest against cheating practices.

The students of Dhuafa Vocational School say that teachers from state vocational school SMK Negeri 5, where the three-day exams were being held, gave answers to their students.

The students, who come from poor families, walked out of the classrooms at SMK Negeri 5 during the mathematics exam on Wednesday and reported the case to the Padang Education Office.

Unsatisfied with the office's response, the students went on Thursday to the West Sumatra Education Office, where they met its deputy chairman, Jasrial.

Nurafni, one of the students, said that on Tuesday, the first day of the exams, she saw SMK Negeri 5 teachers approach their students 10 minutes before the start of the Bahasa Indonesia exam. "I just thought the teachers neatened the students' shirts, but they actually handed over answer handouts to the students," she said.

On the second day of the exams, Nurafni said, the teachers again gave the answers to the students 10 minutes before the exam started. "As other students struggled to remember the answers in the school's toilets, I stood up and was followed by other students from my school. We left the classroom and the exam," Nurafni said.

Nofirman, another student from SMK Dhuafa, said he witnessed SMK Negeri 5 students copying the answers from a sheet attached to the toilet's walls. "I was prevented from entering the toilet, I could see at a glance the SMK Negeri 5 students jotting down the answers," he said.

Nurafni said she was not afraid of failing the exams because she could not stand cheating. "We're aware that we're the children of poor families and passing the exams means everything for us... but we cannot see injustice and cheating be left unheeded," she said.

A similar situation was reported in Palembang, South Sumatra, with widespread claims of students receiving answers on their cell phones. The students are alleged to have received assistance from their teachers, who worked in a group. The teachers are alleged to have signed a letter promising not to tell anyone.

"I actually did not agree with the idea, but I was forced to (sign the agreement). All my colleagues forced me to accept it," said a teacher, identified only by his initials MN, on Thursday.

"Such a practice has taken place for years. The school management does not want its students to fail in the exams. That's why various effort are made, including giving the answers before the exams start," he said.