Study in devotion

The sun has not come out yet but students at Ma'had Al-Zaytun Islamic boarding school in Mekar Jaya village, Haurgeulis, Indramayu regency, in West Java march to Al-Hayat mosque in the school complex to answer the call to prayer from the muezzin. Ma'had Al-Zaytun, situated on 1,200 hectares and with enrollment of 5,500, is the most modern Islamic boarding school in Southeast Asia. Its teaching methods have received varying responses since the school was inaugurated by then President B.J. Habibie in 1999. Still, there is no denying the coeducational school has changed the formerly unproductive Haurgeulis land into a thriving farm where paddy, fruits and vegetables are grown. The school administration is also planning to begin animal husbandry. After passing an entrance examination, students pay US$2,000 for six years of schooling, from the junior to senior high school level, in a modern curriculum teaching both religion and science. The fee cover meals and board, with the exception of laundry.(Text and photos by Mulkan Salmona)

Photo A/B: Images1

A female student gives her opinion about a social issue during a speech class. Students have to compose their own speech and defend their opinion in front of their peers (photo above). The principal of Ma'had Al-Zaytun, A.S. Panji Gumilang, delivers a speech to his staff about the school's development. The meeting takes place every Friday (photo below).

Photo C/D: Images2

Two male students stay healthy by exercising at Palagan athletic stadium (photo above). A school official feeds cows, which were purchased from school fees (photo below). The cows are milked daily to meet the students' dietary needs.

Photo E/F: Images3

Male students confer with each other in Arabic and English every morning after the dawn prayer (photo above). Female students clean up after a meal (photo below). The school's routine is designed to train students in discipline and instill in them the importance of helping each other.