On Tuesday, October 19, 2019, the Faculty of Islamic Economics and Business (FEBI) received a visit from the Ministry of Religious Affairs of Kulonprogo. This visit was part of the Ministry of Religious Affairs of Kulonprogo’s audience with a previous submission of a request for an audience to the Faculty of Islamic Economics and Business (FEBI). The visit from the Ministry of Religious Affairs of Kulonprogo was received by the Faculty of Islamic Economics and Business (FEBI) in the Meeting Room on the 2nd Floor of the Faculty of Islamic Economics and Business (FEBI). The delegation from the Ministry of Religious Affairs of Kulonprogo included H. Muhammad Wahib Jamil, S.Ag., M.Pd (Head of the Ministry of Religious Affairs of Kulonprogo), Muh Fauzi, S.Ag., M.Pd (Head of the Section of Religious Education and Islamic Religious Education of the Ministry of Religious Affairs of Kulonprogo), Yudhi (Staff of the Section of Islamic Religious Education), and Agus Kurniawan (Chairman of the Nurul Haromain Islamic Boarding School Foundation in Kulonprogo). Representing the Faculty of Islamic Economics and Business (FEBI) were Dr. Afdawaiza, S.Ag., M.Ag. (Dean of the Faculty of Islamic Economics and Business), Dr. Sunaryati, SE., M.Si. (Vice Dean II), Dr. Ahmad Salehudin, S.Th.I., M.A. (Vice Dean III), Dr.(Cand) Jeihan Ali Azhar, S.Si.,M.E.I (Director of the Center for Empowerment and Development Studies of Pesantren Economics (P2EP)) along with the staff, the Head of the Faculty’s General Administration Subdivision, and the dean’s staff.
The event was guided by Dr.(Cand) Jeihan Ali Azhar, S.Si.,M.E.I as the Director of the Center for Empowerment and Development Studies of Pesantren Economics (P2EP). The first speech was delivered by H. Muhammad Wahib Jamil, S.Ag., M.Pd (Head of the Ministry of Religious Affairs of Kulonprogo). In his speech, he conveyed the purpose and objectives of the visit. Several issues related to the development of economic independence of pesantrens in Kulonprogo were cited as the main reasons for the visit to FEBI UIN Sunan Kalijaga. Considering that FEBI has a P2EP Study Center highly relevant to the issues of pesantren economy independence. H. Muhammad Wahib Jamil, S.Ag., M.Pd, in his speech, stated that there are currently 66 pesantrens registered with the Ministry of Religious Affairs in Kulonprogo, and many more pesantrens are yet to be registered. Some important notes regarding the issues of pesantrens in Kulonprogo include the fact that only a few pesantrens have formal madrasahs and business units, while the rest are non-formal, and to carry out pesantren activities, they still rely on assistance from the community. This becomes a problem for pesantren independence, particularly during the pandemic. He added, “We have the ‘Bela Beli Kulonprogo’ program with the slogan: ‘iso gawe iso tuku’, which means the development of products or production must be carried out by pesantrens and can also be purchased by pesantrens, from pesantrens for pesantrens. If all activities return to pesantrens, then pesantren independence will be achieved.” In addition, issues such as the lack of confidence of pesantrens to develop, institutional issues, and others continue to hinder pesantren independence. However, considering the strategic geographical location of Kulonprogo, especially with the presence of the Yogyakarta International Airport (YIA), the Ministry of Religious Affairs of Kulonprogo greatly hopes for cooperation with FEBI to conduct mapping of the potential for pesantren economic independence, cooperation in training and mentoring pesantrens, and in the long run, there will certainly be benefits for UIN from pesantrens because fundamentally, a partnership must provide mutual benefits.
Dr. Afdawaiza, S.Ag., M.Ag., as the Dean of FEBI, welcomed this visit with great joy and enthusiastically embraced the plan for collaboration between FEBI and the Ministry of Religious Affairs of Kulonprogo to establish pesantren economic independence in the style of Kulonprogo. In his address, the Dean of FEBI stated, “Pesantrens are the cornerstone of the community’s economy, where pesantrens thrive, so does the community’s economy. This underscores the growing need for pesantrens to empower the community.
Therefore, it is imperative for pesantrens to achieve economic independence, and FEBI is prepared to partner with the Ministry of Religious Affairs of Kulonprogo to realize pesantren independence in Kulonprogo.” Following this visit, it was agreed that FEBI, along with the Center for Empowerment and Development Studies of Pesantren Economy (P2EP) and FEBI lecturers, would conduct a follow-up visit to the Ministry of Religious Affairs of Kulonprogo, as well as directly assess the conditions of pesantrens in Kulonprogo as the initial step in mapping pesantren economy.
(Galuh Tri Pambekti)