The Economic Potential Of Islamic Boarding Schools In Supporting Islamic Economy Must Be Developed

Amy Atmanto believes that Islamic boarding schools in Indonesia have great potential for the development of the Islamic economy. (photo: zoom)

SERANG -- The strengthening of the pesantren economy is one of the keys to moving the national sharia economy. Designer for Creative Industry Development, Recipient of the First Lady's Award who is also the Central Executive of the MES (Sharia Economic Community) Amy Atmanto explained that Islamic boarding schools in Indonesia have great potential for sharia economic development.

"Imagine, Indonesia has around 28,194 thousand Islamic boarding schools with around 18 million students, so that students have the potential to become drivers of the populist economy, sharia economy and MSMEs," said Amy Atmanto at the National Seminar on the Economic and Business Development of Islamic Boarding Schools in Indonesia, in a release received in Jakarta. Jakarta, Sunday 4th July

In addition, pesantren is also a market. At the same time, it has great economic potential in terms of meeting the needs of students including clothing, food, and energy, so that it can become a driving force for the populist economy, sharia economy and SMEs.

He further revealed that the domestic fashion market in Indonesia is the third largest in the world with a value of 21 billion US dollars (about 303 trillion rupiah) which is a potential market for the absorption of Islamic boarding school products.

Potential export opportunities for Indonesia are also wide open to Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, United Arab Emirates, Southern Europe, Eastern European Countries, South Asia (Pakistan, Bangladesh, and India).

For example, in the form of world-class local fashion products through the development of works by professionals in their fields, so that they become world-class products in the form of modest fashion and hijab.

Indonesia is in the top 10 in the Muslim fashion sector, halal food, sharia finance, halal tourism, halal cosmetics, media and recreation.

The obstacles include pesantren, which are educational institutions for school-age children. This creates practical obstacles in the field, so that the right strategy is needed for the economic empowerment of pesantren.

"Meanwhile, solutions and strategies that can be applied in the economic empowerment of pesantren include the need for the preparation of a roadmap that is developed in stages until pesantren independence is achieved," said Amy.

He explained that several other efforts that need to be made are skill improvement through the pesantren entrepreneurship curriculum, skill improvement through the provision of active and creative skills training facilities under expert guidance, empowerment of economic business development through increasing business capital, mentoring in economic business development training and market absorption. .

In addition, the role of the government and the private sector in supporting the empowerment of pesantren so that they have superior products, the role of the government in the absorption of pesantren's work products.

Bank Indonesia (BI) is also expected to be optimal in its role in developing the sharia economy through economic empowerment of Islamic boarding schools as “AIR” (Accelerator, Initiator and Regulator).