Yogyakarta, NU Online
When Islam first came to Indonesia, in the 11th century, it was brought by traders – business people – from Gujarat, India. So there is no reason why Islamic schools should not teach entrepreneurship, and job skills in general.<>

That was the message former Indonesian vice president and prominent businessman Jusuf Kalla delivered at a Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) forum at Pondok Pesantren An-Nur Ngrukem in Bantul, Yogyakarta recently.

"Aside from knowledge about religion, Islamic boarding schools should also introduce [entrepreneurship]," Kalla said, according to media reports.

"I am confident that if we all have that spirit, growth in the business sector will be high. We all know that the founders of NU and Muhammadiyah were basically traders," he added, citing Indonesia's two largest Muslim organisations.

Islam encourages the spirit of trade and teaches followers to have a better life, he emphasised. Pesantren graduates should have an understanding of how to make a living, as well as knowledge about religion and family life.

He cited three main elements for becoming an entrepreneur: knowledge, determination, and the spirit to work hard.

"That's all that it takes, and God is fair and doesn't treat people differently. The differences only lie in knowledge, determination, and spirit. That's all that makes some people rich and other not," he said.

Editing by Sudarto Murtaufiq