FEB UIII Students' SMEs' Visit to Al-Ittifaq Moslem Boarding School, Bandung

On January 30th, 2023. Ecobiz Students Association (ESA) of faculty of economics and business of UIII held a study excursion to Bandung.  This trip was successfully conducted in partnership with management and business laboratory (LMFEB) of Padjadjaran university. Together will all students of FEB UIII, consisting of master and doctoral students, ESA visited Al-Ittifaq Moslem boarding school, which is located in Rancabali, Ciwidey, Bandung. 

This Islamic education institute has been chosen considering their capacity that focuses on equipping their students not only be concerned with religious subjects understanding but, more importantly, entrepreneurship skills. Established approximately 52 years ago, Al-Ittifaq has made breakthrough community service programs, relying on its geographical advantage in the mountain area, enabling it to empower people from a more advanced agribusiness scheme.

From this line of agribusiness, there have been around 120 commodities which are not only penetrating domestic market place like Super Indo and AEON but also international markets. Not only does this entity assist farmers to find a market to sell their crops at a more reasonable price, but it also provides agribusiness education programs to improve the quality of the crops and their plantation. 

Regarding the research and development, Al-Ittifaq has partnered with Programma Uitzending Manager (PUM), Senior experts from the Netherlands, and Alif learning center (ALEC).  This initiative was made to solidify the entrepreneurial incubation enforcement of small medium enterprises (SMEs) and their activities around Al-Ittifaq.

Al-Ittifaq formerly developed an entrepreneurial incubation program, targeting cooperations and tenants to upgrade their business capacity. It could access the financing programs from Revolving Fund Management Institution for Cooperatives, Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (LPDB-KUMKM). Under their management, more than 500 vegetable farmer groups and 174 Moslem boarding schools become their business partners to be supported for their supply chains and administrative business models. Besides farming, being labeled as 'green pesantren', al-Ittifaq expanded their business scale to the cattle and goat breeding and fattening programs. Committed to the realization of zero waste, they not only manage the organic fertilizers procurement but distribute approximate 20 tons daily.

With this consideration, ESA is enticed to comprehend the al-Ittifaq business flow and movement in a face-to-face nuance to get a closer exposure to how to synergize business and religious education to uplift the economic welfare of people and other surrounding Islamic boarding schools. Welcomed by the CEO of al-Ittifaq, Setia Irawan, ESA, and all FEB UIII students assembling at the institute hall were following the explanation of the history of al-Ittifaq and how it transformed from religious-based boarding school to socio-preneur school. He depicted that beyond the transformation is the fact on how people demand students of the boarding school to not only be capable of teaching and disseminating religious tenets they learned at school but also contribute to open work opportunities or at least involve in engaging positively the business markets in their hometown. 

Representing FEB UIII was Shalahuddin, a PhD student that delivered an appreciative remark on such fulfilling welcoming and accommodation given to all students of FEB. He, furthermore, also emphasized that this attendance would help students to unmask what theorems in economic books and journal conceal, including but not limited to the survivability, challenges and sustainability of micro companies. There was a QnA session following after that and all students were invited to spectate how the plantation, breeding as well as process of selecting and packaging all commodities at the designed places.