Kusnasriyati, a leader in her own right
By Sri Wahyuni
YOGYAKARTA (JP): Being the mother of five and wife of Moslem leader Amien Rais is no easy challenge. But it does not stop Kusnasriyati Sri Rahayu from building a world of her own in which she is the leader.
Education is the field in which she excels. In March 1987, together with four friends, she established an Islamic kindergarten under the umbrella of the local Salahudin Education Foundation chaired by Amien.
The school was later named Budi Mulia Kindergarten II, a name which does not sound very Islamic at all.
"I really didn't mind about the name of the school ... any name would have done as long as the school teaches Islamic teachings," Kusnasriyati said.
The kindergarten began with fewer than 10 students, including those of the founders, and two teachers. It is now the favorite such school of many parents in the city.
Budi Mulia employs around 28 teachers and supporting staff. Almost 400 students currently study at it, coming from across Yogyakarta and towns outside the city, such as Klaten 30 kilometers to the east.
The kindergarten originally took up about half of Amien's residence, which was built on a 1,000-square-meter plot in Pandean Sari. It has now expanded to 1,850 square meters.
The family owns both the land and the buildings. The kindergarten uses them for free.
"Right from the start we built it (the kindergarten) purely as part of our devotion to Allah. We expect nothing in return," Kusnasriyati said, adding that as members of the management board, the five founding mothers refuse to draw salaries from the kindergarten.
"We're happy that what we started is going well. Alhamdulillah (praise be to Allah). That's all that we can say," she said.
Following the success of the playgroup they started in Blimbingsari three years ago -- it has 125 students and 20 staff -- the management is now planning to build another Islamic education center to provide day-long school programs. The school is expected to open in the 1999/2000 academic year.
Toys
The playgroup in Blimbingsari also uses the land and the premises of a member of the management board for free. However, the planned day-long school and the after-school program will be located on an area of 7,000 square meters in Seturan. This land belongs to the Center for the Study of Policy Strategy PPSK, which Amien founded and chairs.
Kusnasriyati's concern about education doesn't seem to stop there.
After she failed to find good educational aids anywhere in the country, she set up CV Surya Mentaram Nusantara Toys two years ago to produce and distribute educational aids made of baked wood, known locally as mahoni.
With the help of the teachers, Kusnasriyati designs the educational toys herself. Wood was chosen because, among other things, it is non-toxic and can be recycled.
More than 40 designs have been produced, including a geometric sorting board and a board to learn Arabic. All Surya Mentaram's products bear the Certificate of Europe.
A distribution company, Mentari Promo Sarana, has also been set up in Surabaya, East Java, to market the goods across the region.
Kusnasriyati never went on a special course or studied preschool education. Her position for years as the person in charge of the preschool education program in the Maimed women's wing Aisyiah in Surakarta, however, gave her valuable experience in the field.
Surya Mentaram is not the only business Kusnasriyati runs. In 1993, she and one of her sisters-in-law opened a small kiosk selling traditional food known locally as gudeg. The Warung Sala, which specializes in Moslem Chinese food, is located close to her house.
At first, everything -- including shopping, cooking and selling -- was done by the two women.
As the business grew, they hired more people and now have eight people in employment with a daily turnover of between Rp 100,000 and Rp 150,000, although "business has been slowing lately due the monetary crisis," Kusnasriyati said.