A school district in Indonesia has sparked outrage when it planned to make teenage girls undergo virginity tests to enter senior high school. The plan, which was apparently aimed to discourage premarital sex and protect students against prostitution, was scrapped after the country’s officials dismissed it as unethical.

Head of the education office in Prabumulih, Muhammad Rasyid, had proposed a budget for his plan, which he wanted to commence in 2014.

The virginity test would be carried out on girls entering senior high school, typically around 15 to 16 years old. It would involve examining their hymen to see if they are still intact. It would only be required on female students; male students would not be asked to undergo such test or even asked if they are still virgins.

And although Mr Rasyid said there would be “some human rights concerns” over the issue, he defended the proposal because “we expect students not to commit negative acts.”

Hasrul Azwar, a member of the Islamic Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), supported the virginity test in the district, saying it’s “a disgrace for a student to lose her virginity before getting married,” as quoted by The Age.

But the proposal has been met with criticisms from different groups, including local politicians, the Education Minister, and the Islamic advisory council in the area.

Indonesian Education Minister Mohammad Nuh branded the idea as “neither wise nor judicious,” and would be ineffective in preventing teen sex.

“If there was proof [that it could prevent it] of course we would issue a circular to that effect. But they must find another way, a wiser way, to address the issue of teen sex,” he said.

Aris Merdeka Sirait of the National Commission for Child Protection slammed the plan, saying it “just aimed for popularity.”

“Loss of virginity is not merely because of sexual activities. It could be caused by sports or health problems and many other factors,” Mr Sirait was quoted by AP as saying. “We strongly oppose this very excessive move.”

Female legislator Nurul Arifin added that it would be “discrimination and harassment against women,” while another official pointed out that virginity tests would not likely be accurate since there are other factors that can alter a woman’s hymen state.

Netizens on social mediate Web sites like Facebook and Twitter were also outraged by the virginity test proposal, with people calling it a form of child abuse. Some even argued that it would alienate rape and sexual harassment victims.

But the province’s education chief, Widodo, dismissed Mr Rasyid’s proposal on Tuesday, saying “There are many more important and useful things that need to be cared for rather than such a test. As students, they need to be nurtured more than be judged.”

This isn’t the first time a virginity test for incoming female students has been proposed.

A Jambi provincial legislator had announced his idea to require female students in state schools to undergo such test in 2010. Failure of the virginity test would mean exclusion from studies.

“The idea is simple. Parents are obviously afraid of their daughters being deflowered before the time comes, so before they continue their studies, they can undergo the virginity test and automatically protect their dignity,” legislative councillor Bambang Bayu Suseno had told the Jakarta Post that time.

“Why are girls who lose their virginity allowed to go to public school?”

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