The admission process for new Junior High School (SMP) students in Sidenreng Rappang (Sidrap) Regency, South Sulawesi, has been colored by complaints from parents. Allegations have surfaced that parents were directed by certain committee members to buy uniforms from a specific shop, triggering public polemic.
The complaints arose because the price of the uniform packages offered at the referral shop was considered much more expensive compared to prices in the general market. Aside from the financial burden of the price, several parents have also begun questioning the quality of the clothing materials they received.
According to the testimony of one parent, the instruction to buy uniforms from a specific place indirectly limits their freedom to look for more affordable options. Along with this anxiety, rumors have also emerged regarding a covert profit-sharing scheme from the uniform sales, although this issue has not been legally proven.
Responding to the growing polemic, the Head of the Primary Education Division of the Sidrap Regency Education and Culture Office, Musafir, denied any official designation of a specific shop. His office emphasized that they have never issued a policy directing the centralized purchase of uniforms from a single vendor.
Despite the denial from the relevant office, the public still hopes that the authorities will conduct a further investigation on the ground. Evaluation and clarification steps are considered crucial to ensure the new student admission process runs transparently without practices that burden the parents.
