Al-Azhar boarding school opened

Al-Azhar boarding school opened

JAKARTA (JP): An international high school that combines a formal modern education with religious aspects was opened in Lippo City, Bekasi, on Sunday.

A release made available to The Jakarta Post says that the first-ever boarding school of its kind in Indonesia, called the Al-Azhar high school, is jointly managed by several Islamic foundations including the Syifa Budi foundation, which also runs the prestigious Jakarta-based Al-Azhar Islamic College, and the Wakaf Islamic Network foundation.

A number of noted figures and dignitaries including Azwar Anas, the Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare, Wardiman Djojonegoro, the Minister of Education and Culture, and H. Tarmizi Taher, the Minister of Religion, are among the members of the school's board of patrons.

H. Maulwi Saelan, the chairman of the Syifa Budi foundation, described the integrated curriculum, which blends a formal education system with religious touches, as a "spiritual education." (bas)