PORTALJABAR, BANDUNG CITY - The Mayor of Bandung, Muhammad Farhan, emphasized his commitment to eradicating the practice of buying and selling seats in the implementation of the 2026 New Student Admission System (SPMB). He warned that anyone suspected of being involved in such fraudulent practices would be subject to severe sanctions, including criminal penalties.

He said that as long as the SPMB process continues to run smoothly, the government wants to ensure that there are no opportunities for cheating that could harm students.

"Anyone suspected of buying and selling seats will be given severe sanctions and immediately prosecuted," said Farhan during an interview at Bandung City Hall, Monday (May 11, 2026).

He believes that cheating practices during the school admission process, particularly at the elementary and middle school levels, will negatively impact children's character development. He doesn't want students to grow up with flawed values from the very beginning.

"If a child enters school by cheating, he will grow up to be a cheater too," he said.

Farhan also revealed that the Bandung City Government (Pemkot) has provided comprehensive information to elementary and junior high school principals to ensure that the SPMB implementation is running according to regulations.

In addition, coordination was also carried out with law enforcement officials and the Regional People's Representative Council (DPRD) to strengthen supervision.

He added that his party continues to adjust policies to the latest regulations from the central government, including in terms of the technical implementation and supervision of student admissions.

Meanwhile, the Head of the Bandung City Education Office, Asep Saeful Gufron, has instructed all school staff to reject all forms of chair buying and selling practices.

"We have emphasized to elementary and middle school principals that there should be no buying and selling of chairs in any form," he said.

Asep stated that the Education Office is currently intensifying outreach to the public and stakeholders, including education-focused NGOs, to achieve a common understanding regarding the latest policies, such as reducing the number of study groups (rombel).

In terms of capacity, he explained that the number of elementary school graduates in Bandung City reaches approximately 23,000 students, from both public and private schools. Meanwhile, public junior high schools only have around 19,000 seats.

Given these conditions, Asep believes there's still room for students to continue their education at private junior high schools. However, he will regulate student distribution to prevent overcrowding at favored schools.

"There are indeed schools that are more popular, but we will regulate this so that there is an even distribution and no schools are left empty," he said.

He also stated that all admissions processes, including zoning, domicile, and achievement, would be strictly monitored to prevent irregularities, including various methods that could potentially create loopholes for seat buying and selling.

Furthermore, the city government is ensuring that learning continues according to regulations, with schools only allowed to operate a maximum of two shifts until 2028. For class sizes, junior high school classes have a maximum of 36 students, while elementary schools have a maximum of 28 students. (Bandung City Communications and Information Service/rka)