Success Story from Lombok: Islamic Boarding School Achieves Self-Sufficiency with Bank Indonesia's Support

Pondok Pesantren Thohir Yasin in East Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, has transformed into a largely self-sufficient institution after receiving direct support from Bank Indonesia (BI). The school’s leader, Tuan Guru Haji (TGH) Ismail Thohir, recounted the long journey since the early 1990s, which has led to the establishment of various business lines in agriculture, livestock, and trade. He explained that the ultimate goal is full independence, ensuring the school’s operations no longer rely on external parties. ‘We aspire and have taken the initiative to make Pondok Thohir Yasin a self-sufficient boarding school. This means we are ready to not always depend on outside help. We want to use our own income to pay teachers’ salaries, fund development, and cover all other needs,’ he said. The drive towards economic self-sufficiency became more progressive after receiving assistance and infrastructure support from Bank Indonesia in 2021. The support included a greenhouse, a poultry slaughterhouse, a chicken coop, and a rice milling unit. ‘Alhamdulillah, with the support from Bank Indonesia, we have become more enthusiastic and our efforts have increased,’ he added. Beyond physical assets, Bank Indonesia also provided human resource training, involving 300 students from the Madrasah Aliyah and Ma’had Aly levels in entrepreneurship and animal slaughtering courses. Syahrullah, Director of the Thohir Yasin Islamic Boarding School Business Entity (Bumpes), revealed that the school’s business operations now cover 70 per cent of its total operational costs.