Yogyakarta – Female Islamic Boarding School Students as Drivers of Rural Digital Entrepreneurship
Female Islamic boarding school students can become key drivers of the economy and entrepreneurship through digital technology in rural areas. Digital technology-based economic activities are also seen as an innovative approach to decentralizing economic activities, which have long been concentrated in urban centers.
To realize the vision of digital entrepreneurship from villages, the Wahid Institute launched Pesantren Programmer Qoryatus Salam at Peace Village, Yogyakarta, on Tuesday (22/2/2022). The launch of Pesantren Programmer Qoryatus Salam was a collaborative effort between the Wahid Institute, Fortress Data Service (FDS), and Amazon Web Service (AWS) Indonesia, supported by UN Women, PT Jamkrindo, and several Islamic boarding school networks around Yogyakarta.
Yenny Wahid, the leader of the Wahid Institute, explained that the newly launched programmer boarding school follows a general Islamic boarding school curriculum, enriched with programming courses such as Python, Algorithms, Django, Databases, AWS, and additional classes on sociopreneurship.
According to Yenny, the past two years have shown how society has rapidly adapted to technology during the pandemic, integrating digital tools into daily life. Human interaction with digital devices has evolved into a new form of social activity.
"Pesantren Programmer Qoryatus Salam will be the starting point for a digital economic movement led by female students. In this era of technological advancement, it is crucial to foster young digital entrepreneurs. Women must be part of this movement, and I am confident that the students trained here will contribute to Indonesia’s digital economy in the future,” said Yenny Wahid.
She highlighted that technology is often perceived as a male-dominated field, and many believe that women are less tech-savvy. However, this is a misconception.
“Such stereotypes discourage women from learning and limit their opportunities. Therefore, women must be empowered to learn technology. Pesantren Programmer Qoryatus Salam is a step towards empowering women in technology,” Yenny added.
In addition to programming, the religious studies curriculum in the boarding school adopts moderate Islamic references, including: Risalah Ahlussunnah Wal Jamaah by Hadratus Syeikh KH. Hasyim Asy’ari, Kitab Adabul ‘Alim wal Muta’alim, which focuses on ethics, and Fathul Qorib, which covers Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh).
The Wahid Institute, founded by Indonesia’s 4th President, Abdurrahman Wahid (Gus Dur), has long been dedicated to promoting peace, tolerance, justice, and social welfare. Recently, it has expanded its focus to the economic sector, aiming to achieve economic equality through digital entrepreneurship.
The first batch of students at Pesantren Programmer Qoryatus Salam will receive additional training in software engineering and digital leadership strategies through a 12-week bootcamp. Yenny emphasized that digital economies thrive on strong ecosystems, making collaboration with multiple stakeholders essential.
FDS CEO Sutjahyo Budiman expressed enthusiasm for joining the bootcamp initiative, acknowledging that digital economy is no longer a concept but a driving force for economic growth. FDS, a provider of internet banking and data processing services for banks in Indonesia, sees Pesantren Qoryatus Salam as a potential development center for tech talents.
Gunawan Susanto, Country General Manager of AWS Indonesia, who attended the event virtually, welcomed the collaboration with Pesantren Programmer Qoryatus Salam, FDS, and AWS Indonesia. He emphasized that this initiative would help strengthen Indonesia’s digital ecosystem.
“This Islamic boarding school will serve as a model for women’s empowerment by providing opportunities to learn technology. It also represents the modernization of pesantren management through digitalization. This is a great step toward integrating IT-based curricula into Islamic education. With the expansion of coding pesantrens across Indonesia, improving human resource skills will remain a priority,” Gunawan concluded.