Republika.co.id, Jakarta—Sekolah Insan Cendekia Madani (ICM) has established partnerships with several Islamic schools in Indonesia to promote high-quality Islamic education, emphasizing discipline, cleanliness, environmental awareness, and the quality of educators.

"Our commitment to the transformation of Islamic education in Indonesia is unwavering," stated Tamsil Linrung, Chairman of the ICM Advisory Board, on Sunday (17/4). The Islamic schools involved in this collaboration, located in South Sulawesi and East Kalimantan, are testaments to this commitment.

According to Tamsil, the collaborative model implemented by ICM with Islamic schools encompasses joint curriculum development, deployment of ICM educators, provision of training, and encouragement for schools to obtain A accreditation, among other initiatives.

"We aspire for Islamic schools to uphold the same standards as other educational institutions. Out of the 70 schools granted SPK status by the government, only 6 are Islamic schools. This is concerning and needs to be addressed. At the high school level, out of 36 schools, only 4 are Islamic schools. One of these is Kharisma Bangsa, an Islamic school with investors from Turkey," explained Tamsil.

In addition to elevating the educational standard of Islamic schools to achieve A accreditation, the initiative aims to promote environmentally conscious practices within these schools. Tamsil said that Islamic schools should be acknowledged for their environmental stewardship, aligning with the Islamic teachings of hygiene and environmental aesthetics.

"The architectural design of Islamic schools must also be enhanced. Thus far, we have only focused on constructing buildings. We have enlisted the expertise of architects who can assist in this endeavour. Our goal is for Islamic schools to become the preferred choice for the public due to their commitment to quality, discipline, cleanliness, environmental awareness, and exceptional educators," Tamsil explained.

Through this collaborative approach, Tamsil highlighted that there is no need to establish new Islamic schools. Instead, the focus is on encouraging existing Islamic schools to implement enhancements.

In the pursuit of enhancing the quality of Islamic education in Indonesia, Tamsil intends to engage Muslim entrepreneurs. He said Muslim entrepreneurs need not be concerned about financial losses from investing in the education sector. On the contrary, they stand to gain financially and through righteous deeds and the nurturing of pious children. "There are no financial losses in investing in education. I speak from experience, not mere words," Tamsil emphasised.

This article was published in Republika

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