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VP Ma'ruf wants ‘pesantren’ to get financial aid during pandemic
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A health official disinfects the bag of a student at an Islamic boarding school in Sidoarjo, East Java, on April 4. (Antara/Umarul Faruq/)
V
ice President Ma'ruf Amin has instructed his subordinates to draw up a list of pesantren (Islamic boarding schools) to receive financial assistance from the government during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The financial support, Ma'ruf said, would help the boarding schools operate during the health and economic crisis.
"The amount of financial support [for each pesantren] will depend on the government’s financial ability. Hopefully, it will be enough to support them to operate during the pandemic,” the Vice President, who is a prominent Muslim cleric in the country, said during a virtual meeting with several ministers on Wednesday as quoted by kompas.com.
Read also: Nine foreign students at East Java boarding school test positive for COVID-19
Ma’ruf went on to say that not all pesantren in the country would need such assistance.
In the meeting, he also ordered the administrations to provide boarding schools with COVID-19 test kits, better sanitation and clean water as well as to instruct students on health and hygiene, including physical distancing and handwashing, to prepare them for the so-called “new normal” phase.
"If we can provide them with the aforementioned necessities, it would be better for all," said Ma'ruf. (vny)
