KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA — Dai Ambassador Dompet Dhuafa 2023 currently serves fourteen countries, including Malaysia. Assigned preachers (Da’i) to the neighbouring country were Ustaz Luqmanul Hakim Abubakar, Lc. M.R.I and Ustaz Very Setyawan, Lc. S.Pd.I M.H. One of their important roles is to spread da’wah to citizens living abroad, such as Indonesian Workers (TKI), so that in this month of Ramadhan, they can get religious knowledge as a provision for undergoing worship in the holy month.
According to Ustaz Luqmanul Hakim Abubakar’s record on (25/3/2023), in addition to the problem of illegal migrant workers, another problem that must also be considered a solution is giving education to Indonesian workers’ children. Many of them need access to proper education. The children cannot attend official educational institutions owned by the Malaysian Government, and it is impossible to study there.
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Ustaz Luqman added that according to Malaysian labour regulations, workers are not allowed to bring children, have families, and have children in Malaysia. That is why Indonesian workers’ children find it challenging to have official documents to explain their identity or stateless or referred to as unrecorded and stateless children. Whether the parents are documented or not, obtaining residence permits for these children is difficult.
“Moreover, several times I have encountered marriages between migrant workers at work not recorded in the civil registry,” wrote Ustaz Luqman.
Education is one of the fundamental rights that must be fulfilled for children. Through education, children will learn, know, communicate, and have good morals. Education is an essential capital so that children can survive in the future.
Therefore, the community group formed a Learning Center or Guidance Center (S.B.). There are approximately 35 Guidance Centers recorded at the Indonesian Embassy. This studio is managed by the owner independently from the dues of migrant workers or managed by the company—Indonesian workers’ children who are not accepted in formal school study in these Guidance centers.
“Today, I had the opportunity to meet with the Manager and Santri of Daurah Tahfizh Baitul Jannah Guidance Center, Rawang, Selangor. There are 60 students here, 10 of whom are in the dormitory. They teach reading, writing, counting, and memorizing the Qur’an. Ibu Murniyati, a woman born in Lombok who has converted to Malaysian citizenship, is the head of the foundation, the main teacher, and the only permanent teacher at the studio,” explained Ustaz Luqman.
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He added that to meet teachers’ needs, Murniyati employs several migrant workers, at least those with high school education, as part-time teachers—however, more use volunteers from among students who carry out street vendors in Malaysia. Usually, the Indonesian Embassy will randomly place job training students from Indonesia in the registered Guidance Centers.
According to Ustaz Luqman in his notes, education is a luxury for the children of Indonesian workers in neighboring countries. Not all can enjoy school. Plus, they grow up without parental supervision. Mom and dad must work at varying times. Over time the age of these children passed, and it did not feel like they had reached adulthood. Many of them cannot read, write, or count. The heavy burden of life awaits ahead.
Therefore, hopefully, the assignment of Dai Ambassador Dompet Dhuafa to this neighboring country can help them to pursue religious knowledge during the problematic access to the education they find. (Dompet Dhuafa/Ust. Luqmanul HA/Awalia R