President Donates Rp15.6 Billion to Islamic Boarding Schools In N Sumatra

Medan, NU Online
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has donated Rp15.6 billion to 123 Islamic boarding schools (pesantren) across North Sumatra province, Religious Affairs Minister Maftuh Basyuni said here on Thursday.

The donation was symbolically handed by the minister on behalf of President Yudhoyono to the Islamic boarding school leaders during a friendly gathering of North Sumatran ulemas at Medan’s Hajj Dormitory on the same day.
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Present at the gathering were State Minister for Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises Surya Darma Ali, North Sumatra Governor Rudolf Pardede, Medan city mayor H Abdillah and North Sumatra’s Ulema Council chairman Abdullahsyah.

On the occasin the religious affairs minister said his office this year would focus its attention on education at Islamic boarding schools and Islamic private elementary schools (madrasahs).
 
"Madrasah are inseparable from pesantrens because 91.8 percent of educational institutions under the Ministry of Religious Affairs are run by private foundations," Maftuh Basyuni said.

He said Islamic private elementary schools or madrasahs had never been assisted financially by the government until after Law No 20/2003 on the National Education System was enacted in 2003.

"Since Indonesia’s independence in 1945 until 2003 ,  educational institutions under the Ministry of Religious Affairs  never received any financial assistance from he government," the minister said.

Therefore, he said, starting this year, the government would focus its attention on religiously-related education, especially education at  pesantrens and madrasahs.

Meanwhile, State Minister for Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises Surya Darma Ali said  the government was paying  serious attention to development of pesantrens in the country.

Surya Darma Ali said the assistance from the government would strengthen the power of Muslim congregations in developing their economy on the basis of religious teachings.   "The donation from the president will hopefully stimulate the Islamic boarding schools to do better," Surya Darma Ali said. (ant/mad)