A FRAIL-looking little boy stands staring at an array of photographs displayed on the school newsletter board of Sekolah Menengah Akselerasi Internat (Smart) Ekselensia Indonesia, Bogor, West Java. There are photographs of various student activities, including festivals, cultural events, classes and sports.

Twelve-year-old Ahmad Firmansyah is enrolling at Smart. I want to help relieve my parents of their burdens, says Firmanthe name by which his f