Teacher Certification: Riau Islands Regional Office of the Ministry of Religious Affairs Entrusts UIN Jakarta
Rectorate Building, UIN News Online — The Regional Office of the Ministry of Religious Affairs for the Riau Islands Province has partnered with the Faculty of Tarbiyah and Teacher Training (FITK) UIN Jakarta to carry out a teacher professional development program in the region. The cooperation agreement was signed at the Rectorate Building of UIN Jakarta on Thursday (18/7/2024), focusing on the implementation of the Islamic Religious Education Teacher Professional Education (PPG) Batch 1 of 2024.
The agreement was signed by the Rector of UIN Jakarta, Prof. Asep Saepudin Jahar, M.A., Ph.D., and the Head of the Islamic Religious Education and Religious Affairs Division of the Riau Islands Regional Office, Drs. H. Riadul Afkar, witnessed by the Director of Islamic Religious Education at the Directorate General of Islamic Education, Dr. M. Munir, M.Ag.
Also present in the event, Vice Rector for Academic Affairs, Prof. Dr. Ahmad Tholabi, S.Ag., S.H., M.H., M.A., Vice Dean for Cooperation and Institutional Development, Din Wahid, M.A., Ph.D., Director of Islamic Religious Education (PAI) Dr. M. Munir, M.Ag., Dean of FITK, Prof. Siti Nurul Azkiyah, M.Sc., Ph.D., Vice Deans, Head of the PPG Study Program, Secretary of the PPG Study Program, and several PPG LPTK UIN Jakarta administrators.
In his address, Rector Prof. Asep Saepudin Jahar, M.A., Ph.D., highlighted the significance of the cooperation agreement and stressed the importance of collaboration between UIN Jakarta, local governments, and Baznas in delivering PPG for teachers in various regions. “PPG is crucial for teachers because, in the future, teachers must be certified to teach, which also impacts their welfare,” he stated.
Director of PAI, Dr. M. Munir, M.Ag., conveyed his gratitude to all parties involved in the PPG implementation. He noted that this effort is part of jihad fi sabilillah with immense rewards. Dr. Munir revealed that the queue for teachers wanting to participate in PPG in 2023 was 35 years, but with collective efforts, it was reduced to 28.9 years in 2024. “The PPG queue is longer than the hajj queue,” he remarked.
Dr. Munir also mentioned that the total number of PPG participants at LPTK UIN Jakarta is 501 and expressed hope that all participants would pass to reduce the queue further. He also hoped that LPTK UIN Jakarta could provide high-quality training for teachers with excellent organization and materials.
The Head of the Islamic Religious Education and Religious Affairs Division, Drs. H. Riadul Afkar, representing the Head of the Regional Office of the Ministry of Religious Affairs for the Riau Islands Province, thanked the Ministry of Religious Affairs for its support in enabling the PPG implementation for Riau Islands teachers at PPG UIN Jakarta. “There are 285 participants from the Riau Islands, and we hope all of them pass,” he said.
Dean of FITK, Prof Siti Nurul Azkiyah, expressed her hope that the agreement would strengthen the collaboration between UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta and the Regional Office of the Ministry of Religious Affairs for the Riau Islands Province, contributing positively to enhancing the quality of teacher education in Indonesia. (Muslikh Amrullah/PIH)