Muhammadiyah Launches Master's Scholarships for Dai in Remote Areas

The Dakwah Community Institute (LDK) of the Muhammadiyah Central Board has reaffirmed its commitment to improving the quality of human resources among Islamic preachers (dai). This commitment was realised through the launch of a Master of Islamic Education Scholarship. The programme is intended for dai who are carrying out their preaching duties in various regions of Indonesia, including frontier, outermost, and disadvantaged (3T) areas. The launch of the scholarship programme was marked by a symbolic handover on Thursday (25/6/2026), coinciding with the National Dialogue and Book Launch event ‘Moving to Enlighten’ at the National Library of Indonesia in Jakarta. Symbolically, the scholarship was handed over by the General Treasurer of the Muhammadiyah Central Board, Hilman Latief, to the Chair of the LDK PP Muhammadiyah, Muchamad Arifin. Also in attendance were Muhammadiyah Central Board Chair Kiai Saad Ibrahim and Syamsul Anwar. This scholarship programme is the result of a collaboration between the LDK PP Muhammadiyah and the Faculty of Islamic Religion (FAI) at Universitas Muhammadiyah Sumatera Utara (UMSU), as part of efforts to strengthen the intellectual capacity and preaching competence of Muhammadiyah dai serving in areas with limited access to education. The Chair of the LDK PP Muhammadiyah, Muchamad Arifin, stated that the service of dai in 3T regions is a struggle that requires tangible support, including opportunities to advance their education levels. ‘Many dai have chosen to dedicate themselves in remote areas, making opportunities to continue their studies very limited. Through this scholarship programme, we want to ensure that they still have the opportunity to pursue a Master’s degree without having to abandon their spirit of service to the community,’ Arifin said in a written statement on Sunday (5/7/2026). According to him, increasing the academic capacity of dai will have a direct impact on the quality of preaching services, community guidance, community empowerment, and strengthening social resilience in Muhammadiyah’s target areas. ‘Today’s preaching requires dai who not only possess sincerity and a spirit of service, but also a continuously developing scholarly capacity to be able to answer various community problems wisely and with solutions,’ he added.