Minister: Government Developing Empowerment Curriculum for Islamic Boarding Schools

Jakarta (ANTARA) — Coordinating Minister for Community Empowerment Abdul Muhaimin Iskandar said the government was developing training in empowerment to be incorporated into the curricula of Islamic boarding schools and madrasah aliyah (senior Islamic secondary schools).

“We are refining the concept of empowerment within the education ecosystem,” Muhaimin said after a co-ordination meeting with Religious Affairs Minister Nasaruddin Umar in Jakarta on Monday.

The initiative takes into account the economic circumstances of students at Islamic boarding schools, most of whom are in household welfare deciles one to four.

He said the programme aims to prepare graduates of Islamic boarding schools and madrasah aliyah to be ready for employment and self-employment.

“Being ready for work means being able to enter jobs suited to a secondary education level. Being ready to start a business means including elements of empowerment and self-reliance so graduates can become business operators,” Muhaimin said.

One example is Al-Ittifaq Islamic Boarding School in Bandung, West Java, a pioneer of the eco-pesantren concept and a centre for independent agribusiness.

“Al-Ittifaq in Bandung can serve as an example of a boarding school as an agribusiness community that not only supports itself, but also sustains the surrounding community and other boarding schools,” Muhaimin said.

His office is also inviting ministries and companies to support the empowerment of Islamic boarding schools and madrasah aliyah through their corporate social responsibility programmes.

Religious Affairs Minister Nasaruddin Umar said Indonesia has 80,000 madrasah and 42,000 Islamic boarding schools under the Ministry of Religious Affairs.