CITATION
Islamic
education is perceived by many, often in ignorance, as narrowly traditionalist
and even reactionary. What is ignored is that, over the past century,
traditional Islamic schools have responded to modernizing influences in many
positive ways. This is shown in Indonesia where such changes are of
enormous consequence—Indonesia is not only the world’s largest Muslim country,
it is one where over fifty thousand Islamic schools are a major stream of the
national educational system.
A sterling example of a modern,
socially-innovative Islamic school is Nurul Haramain Putri Narmada in West
Lombok, a peripheral region where a conservative Islam is dominant and
deforestation and poverty are a major challenge. A pesantren,
the oldest type of school in Indonesia, Nurul Haramain was established in 1996
by a young, progressive Muslim cleric named Hasanain Juaini. The son of a
religious teacher who ran a pesantren for boys, Hasanain
opened his own pesantren after completing his university
studies.
Against a tradition that reserves
education for boys, Hasanain decided to open a girls’ school. Starting
with fifty girls, he evolved a learner-centered program aimed at developing
each student’s full potential. Now a pesantren of five
hundred students and sixty teachers (half of them women), Hasanain’s school
offers a government-accredited five-year secondary education program. It
is the first in Lombok to achieve 100 percent computer-based learning, where
students are provided with personal computers and teaching assistants, even at
night. While religion is at the core of its program, as in the
traditional pesantren, the school is pluralist in orientation and
stresses secular subjects like the sciences. Students are exposed to diverse
learning opportunities, encouraged to think critically, and motivated to pursue
higher studies. It is not surprising that the school ranks No. 9
nationwide in university entrance examinations. Yet Hasanain says, “To be
No. 9 is not the target, but how we have developed all the capabilities of the
student.”
It is not just academic excellence
that makes Hasanain’s school a different kind of school. Responding to
criticism that boarding schools are “ivory towers” isolated from society,
Hasanain has deliberately integrated school learning into the life of the
community. While the pesantren is traditionally
controlled by a single teacher, Hasanain has built a model of community
ownership through a membership system. Moreover, he has turned his school
into an axis for community development. His integrated approach to
education gets students and teachers involved in issues of environmental
quality, livelihood enhancement, and good governance.
He initiated a social forestry
project that involves the community in conserving the environment while
increasing their household incomes. The project has successfully
reforested a once-barren thirty-one hectare tract through a scheme in which
families, motivated by a grant of livestock for short-term needs, are allotted
a hectare each for them to plant, nurture, and eventually harvest trees
according to a clear business plan. Hasanain further believes that
schools have a role in promoting citizen participation in local governance.
Thus, he organized representatives from 130 pesantrens in his
district into a Coalition of Pesantrens against Corruption, to
lobby for reforms and hold public officials accountable. He has himself
been a vocal advocate on issues pertaining to elections and the management of
public funds. In his combined roles as cleric, teacher, community worker,
and social entrepreneur, Hasanain is a living example of the kind of education
he preaches.
His modernizing innovations have
been criticized by some. But for Hasanain, there is no divide between
teaching religion and calling public officials to account, or between running a
school and getting the community to plant trees. One who teaches by his
work and not just by his words, Hasanain speaks of what he does in terms homely
but wise: “Everything starts with a seed.” “Those who take must give.
It’s a big sin if you take and not give.”
In electing Hasanain Juaini to
receive the 2011 Ramon Magsaysay Award, the board of trustees recognizes his
holistic, community-based approach to pesantren education in
Indonesia, creatively promoting values of gender equality, religious harmony,
environmental preservation, individual achievement, and civic engagement among
young students and their communities.
RESPONSE
Upon learning that I was selected
for the Ramon Magsaysay Award, the first response that came to my mind was,
“Oh, God! You just want me to work harder! Oh my God! I thought I have
already reached the limit of what I could have contributed.”
But after seeing that other
Magsaysay awardees—previous and present—have done much greater work to deserve
this honor, I feel myself to be way behind them. The gap could be as far as the
distance between the earth and the sky. Again, I asked myself, “What
could this be?” Deep in my mind, I sincerely think that the late President
Ramon Magsaysay, through the Award that he has inspired to exist, wants me to
contribute more—following his footsteps in his patriotic struggles for the
people of the world.
When at last the results of the
Awards selection were to be officially announced, yet another question emerged:
“Am I ready to accept this award?” My gratitude to Allah that I have not
reached the point of insanity to refuse the award, even though I think I do not
deserve it. By the way, I am thankful that this is a sweet “mistake.” I promise
that I will work harder to reach, in the future, that level of contribution
expected of a Magsaysay awardee.
The future promises new
opportunities and requires renewed vigor. This award has strengthened and
energized me to reach my goals. Together let us unite and mutually extend our
help to the people of the world so that in this era of globalization, we will
live in a spirit of brotherhood.
With this opportunity, I am urging
everyone to set President Magsaysay’s dedication to the world as our example.
To me, he is now present and whispering to me, “If I, after my death, can still
do this noble work, why shouldn’t you—who are still alive—be able to do
better?”
To my children in Pondok
Pesantren Nurul Haramain Putri (Nurul Haramain Girls’ Islamic Boarding
School) in Narmada as well as all female students in Indonesia, this award is
for all of you. Keep struggling and prove to the world that without the
contributions of women, the pillars of the world will collapse.
Terimah kasih.