Nurfika Osman, Jakarta – Academic prowess is apparently not enough at one vocational school in Magetan, East Java. Add to that irreproachable morals.

Female students at SMK Negeri I, a vocational high school, were recently required to take a pregnancy test, in what school officials said was an effort to keep them on the moral straight and narrow.

"We are doing this to prevent indecent behavior. It is also a part of an education based on character," Budiyono, the school's principal, told the Jakarta Globe on Wednesday.

He said school officials were concerned about the morality of the students, although he did not say if there were any specific incidents that had brought about this concern.

"We are now in the process of improving every aspect of our curriculum, especially in terms of teaching morality," he said. "It has become a major concern for us because we have seen teenage indecency increasing nowadays due to globalization."

Budiyono said that as many as 280 female students took the pregnancy test by providing urine samples.

"Thank God, all of the tests were negative," he said, adding that a positive result would have meant that the student in question would have been required to transfer to another school. "We have an unwritten policy that a pregnant student cannot study here," he said.

He said the school would send any pregnant students to a private school that could accommodate them. He also said the school was now planning on conducting the mandatory pregnancy test at least one a year.

Harun, head of the East Java provincial education office, expressed his support for the school's effort.

"As long as it brings benefits to the school or is meant to prevent something bad from happening, we will support it," he said. "I do not think this violates the rights of the students. Schools are responsible for the way their students associate with their friends."

But Masruchah, the deputy chairwoman of the National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan), said the pregnancy tests were not only unreasonable, but were also a violation of the rights of the female students. "This action is beyond reasonable and it totally discriminates against the girls," she said.

She pointed out that male students were not required to undergo any tests to ascertain their decency. "Morality cannot be judged from the results of a pregnancy test. People should understand that young girls can become pregnant due to rape or arranged marriages. Clearly it is unfair."

Children, she added, have the right to an education, and instead of discriminating against girls, the school should instead provide assistance, including counseling, to any students who required it. "This just shows the strength of the patriarchal system," she said. "Women, girls and children are always the victims of these kinds of policies."