Sampoerna Foundation Increasing the Quality of 3 Madrasah in Rembang

Sampoerna Foundation Increasing the Quality of 3 Madrasah in Rembang
Monday, 26 February 2007


On 22nd February 2006, Sampoerna Foundation (SF) officially launched its educational quality improvement program for madrasah aliyah (Islamic high schools) in Rembang. The launch was signified by an MoU signing between Pondok Pesantren Raudlatuth Thalibin and Sampoerna Foundation, represented by the Head of Yayasan Al Ibriz, KH Yahya Cholil Staquf and Chief Operating Officer Sampoerna Foundation, Elan Merdy. The Raudlatuth Thalibin’s Head of Pesantren, a respected and influential Islamic leader, KH. A. Mustofa Bisri, or Gus Mus, was also present during the signing.

At the event, both parties agreed to appoint three madrasah aliyah as the pilot project of this program, consisting of Madrasah Raudlatuth Thalibin, Madrasah Aliyah Mualimin Mu’allimat and Madrasah Aliyah Negeri Rembang.

Elan explained that the main objective of the program is to improve the quality of education in Indonesia, including the Islamic schools which accommodate quite a significant number of students in Indonesia. ”There are several reasons why Sampoerna Foundation chose to launch this program. One of them is based on the fact from the Ministry of National Education that claims that 30% of Indonesian students study in madrasah”, Elan stated.

Eddy F. Henry, the Director of Program and Alumni Affairs of Sampoerna Foundation, also added that most of the students in the madrasah come from low-income families with no financial assistance to continue their studies. ”Just imagine how many millions of Indonesian students across Indonesia who do not have the chance to obtain good quality education. If we don’t do anything NOW, there is a great possibility that these students might be affected by the extremist group who offers them short-cut solutions to end their poverty. Therefore, Sampoerna Foundation is convinced that this is one of the effective ways to improve the quality of our human resources, while at the same time, to restore the image of Islam as the leader in culture, pluralism and peace,” Eddy stated.

According to Eddy, this madrasah quality improvement program has a similar concept with SF - United Schools Program (SF USP). Through this program, Sampoerna Foundation will provide several quality support to improve the teachers’ quality, develop the school management quality and basic education quality at the pesantren. In addition, Sampoerna Foundation also committed to enhance the quality of the learning and teaching activities and the extra curricular activities, while raising the standard of the school’s facilities and infrastructure.


The collaboration between Sampoerna Foundation and Pondok Pesantren is designed to improve the education quality of the madrasah aliyah that have partnered with the pesantren and regarded as a formal learning center for the santri (Islamic leaders) to study subject matters in addition to the religious content. In 2007, Sampoerna Foundation also plans to partner with the madrasah aliyah in Pondok Pesantren Annuqayah in Guluk-Guluk, Sumenep, Madura. It is expected that in 5 years period, 20 madrasah in Indonesia will join this program. ”We hope that this chosen madrasah will create a snowballing effect and encourage other madrasah from other provinces or regencies to improve their quality as well,“ Eddy stated.

In the meantime, the Foundation’s USP has been implemented in several state high schools in Musi Banyuasin, Balikpapan, Bukitinggi, Depok, Bandung, Denpasar, Surabaya, Malang, and Pasuruan.

(http://www.sampoernafoundation.org/content/view/644/126/lang,en/)