IO – Vice President Ma’ruf Amin encourages everyone, especially private institutions, to help improve the quality of educational structures and facilities in the homeland. “This program is a means for private institutions to participate in the effort to improve educational structures and facilities, which the people sorely need. I encourage everyone to do something similar, specifically in terms of growing the people’s awareness and concern to share with each other,” he said during the virtual inauguration of the educational facility jointly created by the Indonesian Ulema Council Islamic Dakwah Fund (“IDF-MUI”) and PT Indomarco Prismatama (Indomaret) on Monday (16/11/2020).
Ma’ruf states that this is a manifestation of the principles of cooperation and mutual assistance in goodness, especially during the current COVID-19 pandemic, with its multi-dimensional impact. “The lower classes suffer the most because of the pandemic and they require assistance with many issues – including education. True, the Government has performed many efforts to mitigate the impact of the pandemic through special policies. However, we still need the assistance of non-governmental groups in this effort,” he said.
The Vice President further states that education is a longterm investment. This is more relevant in the Industrial Revolution 4.0 era, when digital technology progresses faster by the day and demands changes and adjustment in education. “These changes are meant to ensure the generation of HR who can develop our nation and benefit it. This is the success of education, which in turn is affected by many factors, among which are the widespread availability of educational structures and facilities. This will make learning and teaching easier, which in turn motivates students to study more diligently and achieve more,” he said.
The event was also attended by PT Indomarco Prismatama (Indomaret) President Director Sinarman Jonatan; its Director of Social Aid Fund Source Management, Hotman; Chairman of the IDF-MUI, H. Misbahul Ulum; aid beneficiaries; and representatives of Indomaret customers in the Jabodetabek, Surabaya, Yogyakarta, and Jombang areas. The aid, funded by donations from Indomaret customers from 1 January to 29 February 2020 at IDR 3,894,949,411.00, was symbolically handed by PT Indomarco Prismatama’s Marketing Director, Wiwiek Yusuf, to IDF-MUI Chairman Misbahul Ulum.
Misbahul hopes that such cooperation and collaboration can extend to various fields. For example, one of every three schools in Indonesia lack access to clean water. “There are several things that we need to provide to ensure good sanitation in educational environments: Access to a sufficient source of clean water, properly functioning toilet facilities with proper separation between male and female facilities, and access to proper hand-washing facilities with soap and freely available running water,” he said.
He further states that the program is implemented in order to bring access to sanitation and health for people in educational environments, e.g. by constructing and improving clean and decent washing and toilet facilities. This construction in 18 beneficiary schools in several regions is now 40% completed. (dan)