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Minister of Religious Affairs Yaqut Cholil Qoumas will sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Al-Azhar University, Egypt, to strengthen synergy in education.

"This visit is conducted to strengthen synergy between the ministry and Al-Azhar, primarily in the acceptance of new students," he noted through a written statement on Wednesday.

During this visit to Egypt, he is scheduled to meet with the Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar Ahmed Al-Tayeb.

Meanwhile, Islamic Education Director General M. Ali Ramdhani said the cooperation between the ministry and Al-Azhar is very important, and it is something that the people are looking forward to.

This is due to the fact that the interest of Indonesian students to study at Al-Azhar is very high. In addition, the role of Al-Azhar in education and culture in the world is also renowned.

The cooperation through the MoU inking between the ministry and Al-Azhar is undertaken to improve the management of transfer for Indonesian students, who study in Egypt, he explained.

According to Ramdhani, four aspects are stipulated within the MoU between the ministry and Al-Azhar. The first involves improvement in the new student transfer management through Al-Azhar's standardized equality (muadalah) exam system.

For the second aspect, all Islamic school alumni have the opportunity to continue their study at Al-Azhar University after giving the exam held jointly by the ministry and Al-Azhar.

The third aspect concerns ensuring the competence of Islamic school graduates in Indonesia that will enter Al-Azhar University through Indonesian students' acceptance requirements based on the decision of the Al-Azhar Supreme Council.

Lastly, this cooperation opens the opportunity for prospective students to register and continue their study in the bachelor program established by Al Azhar or in higher education institutions that have double degree program.

These institutions can also be those that have cooperation in certain fields in Indonesia with Al-Azhar University, Ramdhani explained.  (Antaranews)

Vice President Ma'ruf Amin flew to Bali to attend and open the 2nd ASEAN Islamic Conference bearing the theme of "Khairu Ummah" that is scheduled on December 21-23.

Amin, accompanied by Second Lady Wury Ma'ruf Amin and a limited group of his staff, departed from the Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force Base, here, aboard Air Force's Boeing 737-400 aircraft at around 9:30 a.m. local time.

The vice president is expected to arrive at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport, Bali, at 10:30 a.m. Central Indonesian Standard Time (WITA).

After arriving, Amin will directly head to the conference venue in a hotel in the Nusa Dua Area.

The vice president will be welcomed by the Saudi Arabian Minister of Islamic Affairs, Da'wah and Guidance Abdul Latif Al Sheikh and Indonesia's Deputy Minister of Religious Affairs KH. Zainut Tauhid Sa'adi.

Indonesia is hosting the 2nd ASEAN Islamic Conference, which is a collaboration between Indonesia's Ministry of Religious Affairs and Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Da'wah, and Guidance.

The conference will be attended by 140 participants from Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam, Timor Leste, and Saudi Arabia.

Several speakers comprising ulamas, academicians, and leaders of Islamic community organizations from Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, and Saudi Arabia will be present at the event.

Materials that will be discussed at the conference are "Towards the Best Ummah in Strengthening Cooperation and Synergy", "Being Vigilant against Extremities in Religion and Culture", "Challenges of Islamic Community Organizations in Empowering People in the Digital Era", "Caring for Social Harmony in a Plural Society", and "Towards a Superior Society through the Vision of Islamic Education".

According to the Religious Ministry, the conference will discuss the implementation of religious moderation in Muslim societies as well as efforts to prevent extremism and intolerance and share best practices from each country. (Antaranews)

Mother's Day commemoration activities can serve as an important platform for promoting gender equality, Minister of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection, Bintang Puspayoga, has said.

"We have not found equality until 94 years of the struggle for the women's movement, which was driven by the holding of the first congress in 1928 in Yogyakarta. So, this is what we really need to pursue. We are talking about the issue of women's participation not only during the independence period, (in the) pre-independence (era) women’s participation was extraordinary," she pointed out during a working visit to commemorate Mother's Day in Bengkulu on Wednesday.

Based on historical records, Mother's Day marks the first Indonesian Women's Congress, which was held in Yogyakarta on December 22–25, 1928. The congress aimed to unite Indonesian women's associations into one single association.

December 22 is considered an important milestone in the history of the rise of Indonesian women, and therefore, the date was designated as Mother's Day, based on the decision of the III Women's Congress in Bandung in 1938.

According to Puspayoga, the current challenge is the recognition of women's participation, which is important for Indonesia.

When looking at the data and indexes, the level of gender disparity seen is still rather concerning.

The commemoration of Mother's Day in Bengkulu, the city where Fatmawati—who sowed the national flag before Indonesia’s independence was proclaimed—was born, can serve as an encouragement for women to continue to work to become independent, innovative, creative, and always improve their quality so that everyone can prosper.

“Hopefully, by holding this year's Mother's Day commemoration in a region (Bengkulu) that has made history, in the future, what we hope and aspire to for Indonesian women can be equal to that of men. This is where the momentum can be for women all over Indonesia," the minister said.

House of Representatives (DPR) Speaker Puan Maharani earlier lauded the contribution of women at the “Women's Inspiration Fest” competition in which many women won photo and writing competitions in various categories.

"As women leaders, we must help and support Indonesian women to work together to build the nation and the state. Apart from that, as women leaders, we must work harder to prove that we (women) are capable," Maharani said.

Equal participation of women and men is key for the welfare of a nation, deputy for gender equality at the Ministry of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection, Lenny N. Rosalin, said earlier.

"Equal and full participation of women and men is the key to the welfare and success of a nation," she observed during a national webinar on "Optimizing Women's Potential in Entrepreneurship with a Gender Perspective,” which was followed from here last Tuesday.

Based on an analysis by the McKinsey Global Institute, Indonesia can increase its gross domestic product (GDP) by US$135 billion per year by 2025 if women's economic participation is increased, Rosalin pointed out.

For this reason, efforts to empower women in the economic field need to be strengthened, she said.

Based on data from the Ministry of Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), in 2019, there were a total of 65.5 million business units in Indonesia. Of the number, 99.99 percent were micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

"More than half of those MSME players were women," she highlighted.  (Antaranews)

The South Sumatra provincial government has established a U-20 World Cup preparation committee to fulfill its role as one of the six city hosts for the soccer tournament in Indonesia.

Acting head of the South Sumatra provincial Youth and Sports Office, Rudi Irawan, said here on Wednesday that the committee involves all provincial government agencies, military, police, as well as youth and tourism organizations.

The committee has been formed based on a Presidential Decree (Kepres), which requires each region selected as the host of the cup to finalize all preparations ahead of the implementation of the competition in 2023.

Irawan noted that the competition is drawing closer: it is scheduled to take place from May 20 to June 11, 2023.

“The regional committee is preparing everything which is needed, (in addition to) venue infrastructure, which has been readied by the PUPR (Public Works and Public Housing) Ministry," he said.

The required supporting preparations concern the transportation, security, and accommodation of participants of the cup, he added.

Moreover, good preparations will be needed in case the central government designates Gelora Sriwijaya Stadium in Palembang city, South Sumatra province, as the venue for the opening match of the tournament. The venue has not been decided yet.

"However, we cannot speculate, as everything is up to the central government. Still, we will certainly ready everything,” Irawan said.

The U-20 World Cup will be hosted by six stadiums in Indonesia.

In addition to the Gelora Sriwijaya Stadium, the other venues include Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium (Jakarta), Si Jalak Harupat Stadium (Bandung district, West Java province), and Manahan Stadium (Solo city, Central Java province).

Gelora Bung Tomo Stadium (Surabaya city, East Java province) and Captain I Wayan Dipta Stadium (Gianyar district, Bali province) will also host the cup.

Earlier, South Sumatra Governor Herman Deru said that the Gelora Sriwijaya Stadium is almost ready to be used as a U-20 World Cup venue since the revitalization of the stadium is 80 percent complete. (Antaranews)