Atalia Praratya Sowan to chairman of PCNU Bandung, supports Islamic boarding school budget

Jakarta – Member of Commission VIII of the DPR of the Golkar faction, Atalia Praratya, went to the chairman of the Bandung City Nahdlatul Ulama (PCNU) branch, KH Ahmad Haedar, after a protest at his house by a number of parties. On that occasion, Atalia supported the importance of strengthening Islamic boarding school funding through an allocation of 20 percent of the national education budget. “Islamic residences are not only religious education institutions, but also centers for community empowerment and the moral fortification of the nation. Therefore, it is appropriate for Islamic residences to receive proportional attention and support from the government,” said Atalia as reported by Antara, Thursday (16/10/2025). According to him, support for Islamic residences is not only a matter of the education sector, but is also about the strengthening of national character, economic empowerment of the people, and the development of superior human resources based on Islamic values ​​and Pancasila. According to Atalia, Islamic residences are part of the heart of the country’s civilization. SCROLL TO CONTINUE CONTENT “It is from Islamic residences that ulama, leaders and figures who maintain public morality are born. We want to ensure that Islamic residences do not lag behind in the flow of modernization, but rather become centers of innovation and progress based on Islamic values,” he said. Through this friendship, Atalia hopes to build a strong communication bridge between people’s representatives, ulama and the Islamic dormitory community, so that every policy in the educational and social field is in favor of the people’s interests. “Gatherings like this are not only about meeting, but also about building trust, uniting vision and strengthening cooperation for an Indonesia that has more character and civility,” he said. KH Ahmad Haedar welcomed the friendship and appreciated Atalia’s consistent attention to the world of Islamic residences. He also said Atalia is not new to Islamic hostel circles. “If you look at the history, Mrs. Atalia is very concerned and concerned about Islamic residences, as she was mayor and governor. Her appreciation and attention is extraordinary in cooperation with Islamic residences,” Ahmad said. “Even in 2023, he contributed in the fight for KH Abdul Chalim, who is one of the founders of Nahdlatul Ulama of Majalengka, West Java, as a national hero and thank God that he has been confirmed as a national hero. This means one of his attitudes of love for kiai,” he continued. Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Bandung City PCNU, Ahmad Haedar, in connection with the information recently spread about Atalia’s statement on Islamic residences, asked the congregation not to be easily influenced by fake news. Ahmad Haedar advised the public to do tabayun first to ensure the truth of the news. “As religious figures, we need to be able to provide calm and comfort by responding to information, and really be able to anticipate news that is trending and the truth of which is unclear,” he said. A number of students previously raided Ridwan Kamil’s house in Bandung City. They protested the words of Atalia Praratya, Ridwan Kamil’s wife, who asked the government to review the reconstruction of Ponpe Al Khoziny Sidoarjo with the help of the APBN. The students arrived by car in front of Ridwan Kamil’s house in the Ciumbuleuit area around 15.25 WIB, Tuesday (14/10) and took a long procession to the house of the former West Java governor. The protesters also carried banners and placards with demands. “His statement is sensitive to Islamic residences and students. The history of Indonesian civilization is a civilization run by Islamic residences,” the orator shouted at the venue, as reported by detikJabar. Coordinator of the Greater Bandung Nusantara Santri Forum, Riki Ramdan Fadila, said that the action held today was a form of solidarity with the Al-Khoziny Islamic Residence, whose legality is currently at stake by the state. “It started with a reaction from the legislator who had a view or formed an opinion towards Islamic boarding schools in society by saying that there might have been serious violations within the Al-Khoziny Islamic Boarding School. It then created a bad view or created a bad view in society about the image of Islamic boarding schools throughout Indonesia,” Riki told the media team on Tuesday (14/10) said. (rfs/imk)