Former scavenger earns doctorate at UIN Walisongo Semarang

Semarang (ANTARA) - Nasikhin, an extraordinary lecturer at the State Islamic University (UIN) Walisongo Semarang who was once a scavenger, has successfully achieved a doctoral degree in Islamic Studies at the university.

During the doctoral promotion exam led by Session Chair Prof. Musahadi at the Doctoral Promotion Room, Campus I of UIN Walisongo Semarang, Nasikhin successfully defended his dissertation.

“Mr Nasikhin has been declared passed with a GPA of 3.89. With this, it is announced that Mr Nasikhin is the 409th Doctor to graduate from UIN Walisongo Semarang,” said Prof. Musahadi before examiners and guests at the UIN Walisongo Semarang campus on Tuesday.

From 2012 to 2017, he spent his days roaming rural streets alongside his mother, collecting second-hand goods to support the family economy. Amidst these limitations, his mother would often purchase second-hand books by weight for as little as Rp1,000 or accept free donations from residents to resell to collectors. Before these worn-out books were sold, Nasikhin always made time to read their contents.

This simple habit amidst carrying scrap metal forged his literacy, analytical skills, and passion for education, eventually leading him to the doctoral level. Nasikhin’s academic journey at UIN Walisongo Semarang serves as tangible proof that economic limitations are not an obstacle to achievement. Throughout his studies, he managed to self-fund his education through various prestigious scholarship programmes. He completed his undergraduate programme at UIN Walisongo Semarang through the Bidik Misi scholarship, continued his Master’s degree via the UIN Walisongo Best Graduate scholarship, and pursued his doctoral programme through the Beasiswa Indonesia Bangkit (BIB) from the Ministry of Religious Affairs.

Since 2022, Nasikhin has produced 131 scientific publications and actively engaged in international research collaborations with academics from Malaysia, Thailand, and Brunei Darussalam. On a global level, his track record is strengthened by 12 Scopus-indexed scientific articles (Q1, Q2, and Q3) with a Scopus H-Index of 4 and a Google Scholar H-Index of 15.

In the open session, he defended his dissertation titled “Artificial Intelligence Literacy and its Implications in the Development of 21st Century Skills (A Case Study of Islamic Religious Education Students at UIN Walastongo Semarang and UII Yogyakarta).” His research highlights the importance of Islamic Religious Education (PAI) students possessing strong AI literacy to avoid becoming trapped in technological dependency without an epistemological foundation. Nasikhin proposes an integrative AI literacy model that incorporates dimensions of Islamic digital ethics and digital character (akhlak), ensuring that the use of AI remains aligned with religious values.