Agnes Winarti, Jakarta – Parents of new state elementary school students should be cautious of illegal school fees during the admission period and in the first months of school activities, said an education campaigner Thursday.

"Most parents are still unaware any kind of fees charged by the school or teachers during and after the admission period are illegal," said Jumono, of the Alliance of Parents for Education, on Thursday.

He said according to an official letter from the Jakarta Elementary Education Agency, state elementary and junior high schools must not collect money from parents for any reason, including uniforms, text books, as well as student entrance fees.

"All are stated clearly in the official letter," he said. The letter is based on regulations on education expense management and a governor decree implemented in 2007.

"Some schools try to hide some of these regulations from parents. That's why many parents are uninformed and still regard fees for uniforms and books normal charges. The most critical time for parents to be cautious is during the next two to three months, when their children begin school activities," he said.

In the past few years, he said, after new students enrolled and began class activities, school principals or school committees have invited parents to discuss enrollment fees with various terms, like development donations.

Since early June, the alliance and several other NGOs, including Indonesian Corruption Watch and the Suara Ibu Peduli, have set up five posts in East Jakarta, South Jakarta and Central Jakarta to receive public complaints concerning state elementary school admissions around Jakarta.

Jumono said the posts had received more than 25 complaints, mostly from parents who were facing difficulties in enrolling their children in state schools.

Most of the problems are about documents, like birth certificates, family cards and proof-of-address letters, mostly faced by students enrolling in North Jakarta schools.

There are currently 11 complaints about illegal fees requested by either schools or teachers, ranging from Rp 500,000 to Rp 1.5 million.

"Most parents who file complaints are afraid to reveal the school names because they do not want their children to be discriminated against or intimidated," he said.