NU strategies in facing information technology development

Jakarta, NU Online

The Central Board of Nahdlatul Ulama (PBNU) for the period of 2022-2027 under the leadership of KH Yahya Cholil Staquf (Gus Yahya) has various strategies to deal with the development of information technology.

 

"First of all, we must develop a system that is supported by sufficient information technology to manage the organization and to execute the strategies launched by the organization," said Gus Yahya in a meeting aired on TV9, on Saturday (15/1).

 

On this stand, Gus Yahya has recruited a number of people who have high credibility, especially in the field of information technology development. He mentioned the two names chosen to be the chairmen of PBNU, namely Agus Zainal Arifin from the Surabaya's Sepuluh November Institute of Technology (ITS) and the Director of NU Online Mohamad Syafi' Alielha.

 

“In the daily management, there are a number of people who do have the credibility to do that. For example, there is Dr Agus Zainal Arifin from ITS, there is Savic Ali who has been leading NU Online. Later we will develop further in the institutions that we have. So in the future, the entire NU administration system must be supported by information technology," said Gus Yahya.

 

Gus Yahya then highlighted the development of NU's propaganda strategy in the future which must also be supported by information technology. In particular, he would give more work to the Nahdlatul Ulama Da'wah Institute (LDNU).

 

"LDNU's task is to build a universal da'wah strategy and information technology will become a very important element there," said the leader of the Raudlatut Thalibin Islamic Boarding School, Leteh, Rembang, Central Java.

 

Apart from the issue of da'wah using information technology, Gus Yahya still reminded that NU was an organization that serves as a carrier of knowledge from the ulama (Muslim scholars), namely religion.

 

"The knowledge that we download from these scholars is religion, so we really have to be careful where we take our religion from," said the kiai, who studied religious education at Pesantren Krapyak, Yogyakarta, in 1979-1994.

 

Gus Yahya added that religion could not be obtained by reason alone but must also be obtained by spiritual transfer (irsyad). This could only be done if there is a meeting between teachers and students or kiai (clerics) and santri. He emphasized that the meeting between teachers and students was very fundamental in the process of gaining knowledge.

 

"So even though we use information technology progressively, we still have to maintain the tradition of ijtima' (face-to-face meetings) between our clerics and students, and among our people and our clerics," he said.

 

NU human resources

Furthermore, Gus Yahya explained that currently NU had been flooded with human resources (HR). This means that the quality of human resources within NU is already excessive. But the problem is that, so far they are not well managed.

 

In the last 20 years, NU has had a special branch managenments (PCI) abroad. There, NU cadres have a diaspora and study at various leading universities in the international world. However, when they returned home, they were confused about what to do for NU.

 

“When they finish studying, they go home, they don't understand what they want to do for NU, because there is no one to manage them. Well, they are the ones that we have to manage better in the future. We give them jobs so that it is clear what they will do for NU," he concluded.

 

NU 34th Congress

The strategic plan for managing human resources within NU that will be carried out by Gus Yahya is also a mandate from the decision of the Program Commission at the NU 34th Congress in Lampung, last December 2021.

 

The Program Commission has four areas of work to focus on strengthening NU's human resources. The four fields are education, health, employment, and regeneration.

 

In the field of education, all the implementation and establishment of education within NU will be under one legal umbrella, namely the NU Association. Starting from formal education held in madrasas to schools, both vocational and general from elementary to tertiary levels.

 

Meanwhile, non-formal education such as pesantren, raudlatul athfal (RA), early childhood education (PAUD), religious gatherings (majlis taklim), discussions, skills courses, and training will have excellent accreditation degrees.

 

Then, PBNU will work on strengthening quality human resources through the development of health services. This could be realized through health services at the community level, health service centers in the form of hospitals, clinics, and community medical centers.

 

Then in the field of employment, NU's human resources will be properly managed through NU's autonomous labor agency, namely the Indonesian Muslim Workers Union (Sarbumusi). This field is one of the important elements to achieve NU's economic independence in the future.

 

Finally, strengthening NU's human resources will be carried out in the field of regeneration. In the future, NU will intensify sustainable and tiered regeneration of human resources within NU, both structurally and culturally.

 

Reporter: Aru Lego Triono

Editor: Sudarto Murtaufiq