Jakarta - A new Islamic school, deemed to be the biggest and most modern in Aceh, will be inaugurated in the capital of the tsunami-ravaged province, Banda Aceh, on Tuesday.
The Komplek Sekolah Islam Terpada Fajar Hidayah (or Fajar Hidayah Islamic School Complex), was built on two hectares of land. Among the various facilities it includes dormitories for teachers and students and sports facilities.
The construction of the 10,000 square metre complex began in January 2005 It will provide education for those orphaned in the December 2004 tsunami which killed almost 170,000 people in Indonesia, most of them in Aceh.
The project, which cost ballooned to over 30 billion Rupiah (or 3.3 million dollars), is a joint venture between the Indonesian and Singaporean governments and was partly founded by a public appeal in Singapore.
The school is to be inaugurated by the Indonesian Minister of National Education Bambang Soedibyo, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Singapore, George Yong-Boon Yeo, and the Aceh Governor Irwandi Yusuf.
Islamic schools represent the backbone of public and private education in Aceh where almost all the 4.5 million people are Muslims.
Locally known as `The Verandah of Mecca,` Aceh is believed to be the most religiously fervent part of Indonesia and is the only province of the archipelago where the Islamic code of Sharia is legally binding.
Source: www.adnkronos.com (6 November 2007)
