EN.MUHAMMADIYAH.OR.ID, JAKARTA – The Central Board of Muhammadiyah is exploring potential education partnerships with West Melbourne Institute of Technology (WMIT) and Australian Education Excellence Centre (AEEC), two educational institutions based in Melbourne, Australia.
The proposed collaboration covers education, scholarships, staff development, English language programs, and study visits.
The opportunities were discussed during a meeting between Syafiq A. Mughni, Chairperson of the Muhammadiyah Central Board, and Abdul Mamun, Leader of the Bangladeshi community in Western Melbourne who represented both institutions. The meeting took place on Tuesday (13/10), at the Muhammadiyah Central Board Headquarters in Central Jakarta.
One proposal involved training programs for teachers, administrators, and managers at Muhammadiyah schools. Syafiq considered the initiative relevant to improving the quality of educational institution management. He said it would be followed up through discussions with the Muhammadiyah Central Board’s Council for Primary and Secondary Education.
“I think this is a very appropriate offer. It will certainly be discussed in detail with the Muhammadiyah Central Board’s Council for Primary and Secondary Education,” Syafiq said.
The training programs could be conducted either online or in person. According to Syafiq, holding the sessions in Australia would be a worthwhile option to consider.
“An in-person program would be excellent if it were held in Australia,” he said.
Exploring Social Service Development
Beyond education, the meeting also explored opportunities to develop Muhammadiyah’s social services, including orphanages and care services for older people.
Syafiq noted that Australia’s experience and management systems in operating social service institutions could serve as a reference for Muhammadiyah.
“They have a good system, which could perhaps be one of the considerations for Muhammadiyah in developing similar social service institutions,” he said.
The exploratory discussions are expected to open opportunities for collaboration between Muhammadiyah, WMIT, and AEEC to improve educational quality, strengthen human resource capacity, and expand social services. (taufik)
