Minister Mu'ti Urges Unmuh Babel Graduates to Dedicate Themselves to Society

Pangkalpinang (ANTARA) - The Minister of Primary and Secondary Education of the Republic of Indonesia, Abdul Mu’ti, stated that graduates of the Muhammadiyah University of Bangka Belitung (Unmuh Babel) must be dedicated and provide benefits to the community and the nation.

“I hope that the students graduating today do not suffer from ‘toga syndrome’, feeling that their learning has ended simply because they are wearing a graduation gown,” said Abdul Mu’ti while attending the 17th Graduation Ceremony of Unmuh Babel in Pangkalpinang on Thursday.

He urged the Unmuh Babel graduates to always be grateful, citing religious teachings regarding the importance of gratitude.

“I advise these graduates to always be grateful and to be dedicated in a way that brings benefits to others, because the best of humans are those who are most beneficial to other human beings,” he said.

He further noted that, following the thoughts of Ali Syariati in his book regarding the duties of Muslim intellectuals, there are at least four tasks that must be performed.

He explained these four duties: first, to provide enlightenment by illuminating lives through the knowledge they possess; second, to ground progressive Islam, ensuring that Islam is not only beautiful in words and scripture but truly presents a mercy that makes humans live more happily and the universe more prosperous; third, to combat stagnation and inertia. This means an intellectual must be brave enough to be a disruptor, brave enough to be critical for the sake of good, and brave enough to offer solutions to various problems.

“An intellectual is an individual who is always restless when seeing something that needs to be improved. They are not people who merely blame the darkness, but people who light a lamp in the midst of darkness. Therefore, after you are graduated, never stop creating,” he concluded.