Kiai In Bekasi Raya Wants Ganjar To Apply The Concept Of Central Java Vocational School At Islamic Boarding Schools Throughout Indonesia

BEKASI - The kiai and caregivers of Islamic boarding schools in Bekasi Raya praised Ganjar Pranowo's success in pioneering and developing SMKN Central Java (Central Java). They asked that the concept of Central Java Vocational Schools could be applied in Islamic boarding schools throughout Indonesia.

This was conveyed during the gathering of the kiai and caretakers of the Islamic boarding school with the prospective presidential candidate in 2024, Ganjar Pranowo, at the Indonesian Motivation Islamic Boarding School, Jalan Istana Yatim Burangkeng, Setu District, Bekasi Regency, Friday, October 6.

KH Ahmad Nurul Huda Haem, caretaker of the Indonesian Motivation Islamic Boarding School, said that Central Java Vocational School which was initiated and developed by Ganjar was very inspiring. Pesantren circles are no exception.

It is said that SMKN Central Java and Islamic boarding schools have a similar concept, namely boarding. However, SMKN Central Java as a vocational school is able to score the best graduates and be accepted in the world of work.

"SMKN Central Java is what we want. In Islamic boarding schools, we not only pass the kiai, but also the students have great potential to develop in the future," he said.

Therefore, the kiai who attended from Bekasi Raya conveyed to Ganjar that the Central Java SMKN concept could be applied in all Islamic boarding schools in Indonesia.

"One of the things we discussed earlier was link and match. So that in Islamic boarding schools, apart from studying books and religious knowledge, we also provide space for skill development so that when they graduate they have the opportunity to work elsewhere," he explained.

KH Ahmad Nurul hopes that Ganjar Pranowo can win the 2024 presidential election contestation. So that what the kiai aspires to regarding the development of pesantren can be realized.

"Hopefully he will become President. God willing, Central Java SMKN can be developed more widely, especially in Islamic boarding schools," he hoped.

Meanwhile, Ganjar Pranowo said that this time he wanted to learn from kiai and ulama.

"This is Ponpes but the kiai are the ones who are critical. Earlier, we talked about education, talking about amti-corruption and building a commitment to bridge the santri so that they can have a life skills," he said.

So, according to Ganjar, every important pesantren there is a development for the pesantren economy.

"His thinking is the same for us. This Islamic boarding school is built with the spirit to help orphans and Central Java Vocational School for poor children. Our spirit is the same," he said.

It is known, Central Java SMKN initiated by Ganjar, is an educational concept that can be a solution for poverty alleviation. Based on data from the Central Java Province Education and Culture Office, since 2014, the school with the boarding concept has graduated as many as 1,837 students, consisting of 825 graduates of SMKN Central Java Campus Semarang, 336 graduates of SMKN Central Java Campus Pati, and 676 graduates of SMKN Central Java Campus Purbalingga.

Of this amount, almost 100 percent of them are absorbed in the world of work. The rest, they get scholarships to universities, either at the national or foreign level. Currently, the Central Java Provincial Government continues to widen access to free education by adding 15 semi-boarding Central Java Vocational High Schools spread across various districts/cities.

President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo plans to implement the concept of Central Java Vocational School throughout Indonesia. He asked the Minister of Education and Culture to immediately conduct a serious study.