At a gathering with religious leaders and pesantren students at Al-Itqon Pesantren here on Friday (June 9) evening, the minister stated that entrepreneurship programs would help to resolve the students' concerns regarding difficulties in finding jobs.
"Hence, students are encouraged to open new business opportunities through various programs from the ministry for them to embark on (careers in the) creative economy and tourism sectors," Uno stated.
The minister highlighted that two main ministry programs that pesantren students, locally known as santri, can partake in are the Santri Digitalpreneur program, under which they will learn about digitalization and the creative economy training program.
"They can also embark into the culinary and fashion sectors where the demand is huge," he pointed out.
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Uno encouraged santris to play their role as drivers in the development of national human resources in the future.
"We have developed the infrastructure and to ensure they will get a job, they must be nurtured by knowledge and noble character," he affirmed.
"Thus, we can become an advanced country, and they will create new jobs instead of looking for one," the minister explained.
Uno also noted that religious tourism sites in Indonesia, such as the trail to the graves of Wali Sanga, the nine Javanese saints credited to the spread of Islam in Java, hold high potential to be developed further.
"We should arrange religious tourism in the form of ziarah (grave visit) tourism with historical enrichment (to tell) how the spread of Islam in Indonesia was conducted by approaches harmonious with the local culture and wisdom," Uno remarked.
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Translator: Wisnu Adhi N, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
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