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Madiun, East Java. A student caused a stir at her vocational high school in Madiun when she suddenly and unexpectedly gave birth to a premature baby there, the school said on Thursday.

According to the principal, Sumardiono, the 16-year-old girl, an 11th-grade student identified only as R, gave birth at the school’s clinic, where she had been taken after complaining of feeling unwell.

“According to one of the teachers, this student had asked to be allowed to go home, complaining of a stomach ache after taking part in midyear examinations,” he said.

“She was taken to the school’s health unit and was left there.”

When the teacher returned to the unit, he found her water had broken and she was sitting in a pool of blood.

“We called for a doctor and nurse to provide help,” Sumardiono said, adding that the student later gave birth to a baby girl born six months premature.

Her parents, who reportedly live in Rejosari village, were then summoned to the school and they took her to Soedono Regional General Hospital in Madiun, he added.

Sumardiono said the student had been expelled because she had violated school rules.

“All students enrolled at this school signed a statement agreeing to abide by the school’s rules, such as not being naughty, not marrying and other prohibitions. The agreement had to be signed by both the student and their parents,” he said.

According to Sumardiono, no one at the school suspected the student was pregnant because she was small in stature and always wore loose clothing.

“In future, we will conduct pregnancy tests on all students,” he added.

“Our students are particularly vulnerable because 99 percent are female.”

Heni, one of the school’s counselors, said R was well-known on campus.

“She has been active in studies, sports, school organizations and in extracurricular activities,” she said.