Kusnasriyati, a leader in her own right

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.