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Integrated Islamic schooling in high demand amid growing piety of middle class Muslims
Educators have seen and thus responded to increasing demand for modern and Islamic education, from elementary school to high school, amid a rising level of piety among educated middle-class Muslims in Indonesia.
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Students at Islamic elementary school Al Azhar 61 in Gading Serpong, Tangerang, Banten, watch a short movie together in class. (JP/Ivany Atina Arbi)
"Amsik 'alaika lisaanaka, amsik 'alaika lissanaka [be careful of what you say],” 27 elementary school students chanted in their classroom at Islamic state elementary school Al Azhar 61 in Gading Serpong, Tangerang, Banten, quoting a hadith.
By remembering the hadith, the second graders are expected to respect each other and watch what they say to protect one another’s feelings.
Before chanting the words as instructed by their teacher, the students were learning about the role of a father in a family as part of an elective subject that combines social science, natural science, mathematics and the arts, among other things.
In addition to teaching regular subjects such as natural and social sciences, Al Azhar 61 teachers have also campaigned for Islamic character building, “hoping to create noble, young generations," teacher Lilih Kholidah told The Jakarta Post.
Educators have seen and thus responded to increasing demand for modern and Islamic education, from elementary school to high school, amid a rising level of piety among educated middle-class Muslims in Indonesia.
The Islam Education Foundation (YPI) Al Azhar, for example, opened Al Azhar 61 as well as nearby Al Azhar 41 junior high school in 2018 in response to the high demand for modern, religious-based schooling in a relatively new high-end neighborhood.
They were developed following the success of similar schools in Summarecon Bekasi, West Java, which were established by the same foundation in 2012 in cooperation with property developer Summarecon Agung as part of its corporate social responsibility program.
