By Ali Aminulloh

PKBM Al-Zaytun – In an era where screens are on longer than our consciences, and presence is often eclipsed by simply logging in, a question looms large in our consciousness: what are we learning for? On Tuesday evening, January 6, 2026, this question was not answered with empty rhetoric, but with an invitation to think, even to challenge, through a meaningful virtual space.

Through a Zoom Meeting from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM, Al-Zaytun Community Learning Center (PKBM) opened the even semester of the 2025/2026 academic year for online class learners. This academic momentum was packaged as a National Webinar entitled “Cultivating Awareness, Fostering Humanity,” a title that is not only beautiful but also challenges everyone to reflect.

Webinars included learners and tutors from Al-Zaytun Community Learning Center (PKBM). They were not simply there to open the semester, but to raise awareness.

Excellence Isn’t Something to Be Proud of, But to Be Accountable For

As the main speaker, Dr. Ali Aminulloh, M.Pd.I., ME, Head of PKBM Al-Zaytun, opened the event with a reflective prologue. He stated that the A Excellence predicate achieved by PKBM Al-Zaytun is something to be grateful for, but more than that, it must be accounted for.

“Excellence is not merely administrative,” he emphasized. “It must be present in the quality of learning and educational implementation.” This is where the moral standards of education are established: high accreditation must align with the quality of the people being produced.

Why Must We Be Educated?

The presentation continued on the main foundations of education. Religiously, QS. Al-Mujadilah verse 11 elevates the status of those with knowledge. Legally, Article 31 of the 1945 Constitution affirms education as a right and obligation of citizens. Socially and sociologically, education serves as a ladder to mobility and a means of transmitting noble cultural values.

Education, in this framework, is not an optional option, but a civilizational necessity.

National Dignity is Named Education

Dr. Ali links the quality of a nation to the quality of its human resources, and the quality of its human resources to education. The measure is clear: the Human Development Index (HDI), which rests on three pillars: health, the economy, and education.

He highlighted Mean Years of Schooling (MYS), or the average length of schooling for the population aged 25 and over. He argued that every citizen who does not receive an education not only loses their personal rights but also lowers the nation’s dignity on the international stage.

At Least High School Level: A Mission of Awareness

In Al-Zaytun’s vision as an education center, the minimum target is firmly stated: secondary education (SMA/Package C). The entire extended family, including guardians of students in the regions, are encouraged to be educated. Not for the sake of a diploma alone, but for the sake of the quality of the Indonesian people.

A Diploma Is Administration, Awareness Is Substance

This is where the core message sinks in. “A diploma is administration,” said Dr. Ali, “but awareness is substance.” True education aims to instill awareness, foster humanity, and humanize humans, ngorangke wong.

The Trilogy of Awareness is the fruit of contemporary education:
1. Philosophical awareness: understanding the essence of life, what, why, how, and why.
2. Ecological awareness: recognizing humans as part of nature, not its rulers.
3. Social awareness: building empathy, respect, and a spirit of mutual care.

When Nature is Damaged, Education Questions

Quoting Surah Ar-Rum verse 41: “dzaharal fasefu fil barri wal bahri bima kasabat aydinnas,” damage to land and sea is the result of human hands. Education, he emphasized, must produce people who care for the earth, not destroy it. It affirms the belief that humans are part of nature. Humans cannot live without nature. Therefore, it is humans who need nature, not the other way around.

Reflections on humanity are deepened through the lyrics of the Polytechnic Hymn:

“There’s no need for flags or voices, just small, meaningful steps.
Humanity is not just a call; it’s born in concrete actions. Planting awareness, cultivating humanity.
From a clear heart, a world that cares for each other is born.”
Learners are encouraged to reflect this awareness in concrete actions, in their daily behavior. From this, we will emerge as people who love, care for, and support each other, moving towards a better life in the future.

The Challenge of the “Adult Class”

Online learning for the Al Zaytun Community Service Center’s Adult Class is indeed flexible, but full of temptations. Attending by logging in, absent mentally. The key is awareness: we need knowledge, and knowledge needs guidance. Tutors and teachers are not formalities, but rather legitimacy of understanding.

Learning with the Heart

The webinar concluded with a simple yet profound invitation: engage in the learning process wholeheartedly. Because only a process undertaken with sincerity yields true meaning, not mere ceremonial formality.

The tagline also echoes as a reminder: PKBM Al-Zaytun: Enlightening, Advancing.

This webinar, more than just opening the semester, raises awareness that true education always begins with the most fundamental question: what kind of human being do we want to raise?**

Indonesia, January 7, 2026