The National Zakat Agency (BAZNAS) of the Republic of Indonesia continues to be committed to strengthening zakat literacy among academics and the wider community. One of its strategic steps is to increase the research scholarship quota for students of the Zakat and Waqf Management Study Program at the Faculty of Islamic Economics and Business (FEBI), Sayyid Ali Rahmatullah State Islamic University (UIN) Tulungagung.
In a symbolic ceremony held today, the research scholarships were awarded to outstanding students. The awarding of this scholarship is a follow-up to the cooperation agreement between FEBI UIN Sayyid Ali Rahmatullah Tulungagung and BAZNAS RI. After going through an evaluation, BAZNAS RI decided to increase the scholarship quota from the initial ten students to fifteen students.
This scholarship aims to support student research on zakat and waqf management, which is considered important in strengthening literacy and public insight into zakat. BAZNAS RI believes that with the support of research funds, public understanding of the importance of transparent, accountable, and professional zakat management will increase.
In his remarks, the Dean of FEBI UIN Sayyid Ali Rahmatullah Tulungagung, Dr. Chusnul Chotimah, delivered a motivational message to the scholarship recipients. “You should be grateful, not all students have the opportunity to get this scholarship. Therefore, make the best use of it, and the research that has been done must be published in an accredited journal,” said Dr. Chusnul.
In line with that, the Coordinator of the Zakat and Waqf Management Study Program, Dr. Ahmad Supriyadi, M.Pd.I., emphasized that this scholarship plays an important role in strengthening research in the field of zakat and waqf. He added that the zakat ecosystem that continues to develop must be supported by quality research, which can ultimately strengthen the zakat management system in Indonesia.
With this initiative, BAZNAS hopes to encourage the emergence of innovation and solutions in zakat management in Indonesia and build a young generation that understands and is actively involved in zakat literacy.