MUHAMMADIYAH.OR.ID, MALANG – The late Professor Kuntowijoyo once said that it would be difficult to imagine the emergence of a new Indonesian middle class without the education provided by Muhammadiyah to marginalized communities.
Chair of the Research, Innovation, and Publication Division of the Muhammadiyah Council for Islamic Propagation Pradana Boy ZTF echoed and substantiated Kuntowijoyo’s statement on March 30 in Malang.
Pradana Boy, himself a product of Muhammadiyah education, explained that Kuntowijoyo’s statement was not just a theory. He used his own experience as an example. Coming from a coastal village in North Java, he attended Muhammadiyah educational institutions from elementary school to undergraduate level. He then went on to complete his Masters and PhD degrees in Australia and Singapore.
“I can say it is not just a theory. I am a living testimony,” he said. “It was through Muhammadiyah education that I was able to move from the periphery to the center.”
According to Pradana Boy, Muhammadiyah educational institutions are more accessible to children from marginalized communities in Indonesia due to their widespread presence and relatively affordable tuition fees.
In addition to Pradana Boy, many prominent figures in Indonesia began their education at Muhammadiyah schools, including the second President of Indonesia, Suharto.
Muhammadiyah’s educational outreach is a manifestation of Islamic teachings, which aim to educate individuals to become excellent and to demonstrate the superiority of Islam.
Pradana Boy, who is also a lecturer at the Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang (UMM), believes that building a superior civilization begins with improving the quality of individuals to become excellent. After all, a superior civilization is the result of superior individuals.
