Reception of the Kauman Islamic Boarding School’s Partnership Visit to the Faculty of Islamic Studies, UIN Syarif Hidayatullah JakartaThe Faculty of Islamic Studies at UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta recently welcomed a delegation from Kauman Islamic Boarding School, formally known as Madrasah Aliyah Swasta (MAS) Kulliyatul Muballighien from Padang Panjang, West Sumatra, to explore collaboration opportunities. This visit followed an official letter sent by the Kauman Muhammadiyah Islamic Boarding School's Education Council, dated September 26, 2022, with reference number 317/III.4.AU/F/2022. Informal discussions between the Faculty and Kauman Boarding School had been underway since September 2022, aiming to establish partnerships in Teacher Competency Training and Scholarships for outstanding students from Kauman Muhammadiyah Islamic Boarding School.

The Kauman Muhammadiyah delegation arrived at UIN Jakarta at 8:00 a.m. and was welcomed by the team from the Faculty of Islamic Studies in the Meeting Room on the 2nd Floor. Attendees from UIN Jakarta included Dr. Moch. Syarif Hidayatullah, Vice Dean of Collaboration, Student Affairs, and Alumni; Dr. M. Nurul Irfan, Vice Dean of General Administration; Aida Humaira, MA, Head of the Undergraduate Program; Dr. Willy Oktaviano, Head of the Graduate Program; Iif Fikriyati Ihsani, MA, Public Relations Officer; and Zuhri, S.IP., Head of Library Affairs. The reception, directed by Mr. Zuhri, began with an introduction led by Dr. Moch. Syarif Hidayatullah.

Dr. Derliana, MA, the Director of Kauman Islamic Boarding School and Head of MAS Kulliyatul Muballighien, outlined their objectives for establishing a partnership with UIN Jakarta’s Faculty of Islamic Studies. She shared that many Kauman alumni had successfully entered UIN Jakarta over the years. Their Arabic language proficiency, memorization, and understanding of the Quran, along with their ability to explore classical Islamic texts, motivated Kauman to pursue collaboration with UIN Jakarta.

Present at the meeting was Songie Xanana Bariel, a distinguished Kauman alumnus who recently completed her thesis defense at UIN Jakarta. According to Aida Humaira, Songie exemplifies the high-achieving students that Kauman and UIN Jakarta aim to cultivate. Additionally, Kauman’s Vice Director of Public Relations and Collaboration, Surya Bunawan, expressed hopes that the partnership would extend to strengthening teacher capacity and teaching quality at Kauman. Upcoming training programs for teachers at Kauman and affiliated schools were eagerly anticipated as the next step in implementing this partnership.

Both institutions agreed in principle to formalize the discussed programs in a Memorandum of Understanding, which was signed during the meeting. The signing took place at 10:00 a.m. between Dr. M. Syairozi Dimyathi, MA, Dean of the Faculty of Islamic Studies, UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta, and Dr. Derliana, MA, Director of Kauman Islamic Boarding School. The reception and agreement signing, followed by a networking session, spanned from 8:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. The meeting resulted in two key documents: (1) the signed Partnership Agreement and (2) a Framework Document for implementing the programs discussed. (Author: Iif Fikriyati Ihsani)