"I hope that various government policies and programs could be used as initial capital that must be optimally developed by Islamic boarding schools and their students," he said, quoted by the Press, Media and Information Bureau of the Vice President's Secretariat, in Jakarta on Friday.
The government has paid great attention to the development of Islamic boarding schools in all regions, he pointed out.
The establishment of the National Sharia Economic and Finance Committee (KNEKS) was one of the efforts to offer economic development programs to Islamic boarding schools to strengthen the Islamic economy and sharia finance, he noted.
"Ministries and other institutions are also paying great attention to the development of Islamic boarding schools. KNEKS and Bank Indonesia are currently making various efforts to increase the capacity of sharia business actors," he said.
The Financial Services Authority is also supporting Islamic boarding schools in strengthening the Islamic finance industry by giving permits to develop Micro Waqf Banks, Baitul Maal wa Tamwil, and Sharia Microfinance Institutions, Amin said.
Several regional governments have also developed the One Pesantren One Product (OPOP) program to encourage the independence of Islamic boarding schools, students, and the surrounding community in boosting their production, he added.
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"I have personally witnessed various OPOP products that are proven to be of high quality, and some of them have been successfully exported to foreign countries," he said.
Thus, he urged all pesantren administrators and students to make proper use of the entire program, so that they could contribute to national advancement and development.
The government's support and commitment to developing Islamic boarding schools have also been demonstrated in Law Number 18 of 2019 on Islamic Boarding Schools and Presidential Regulation Number 82 of 2021 on Funding for Islamic Boarding Schools, he said.
During commemorations of National Islamic Boarding School Students Day, which falls every October 22, Amin also asked students to support the notion or grand idea of "mentally and physically ready students".
"Students must always be disciplined and comply with health protocols in their activities, while still implementing the 5Ms and actively participating in supporting the expedition of vaccinations," he added.
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Translator: Fransiska N, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Suharto
Copyright © ANTARA 2021
