January 23, 2026 | 04:05 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Religious Affairs Minister Nasaruddin Umar reveals that Al Azhar University in Egypt has expressed readiness to send lecturers to strengthen public Islamic universities in Indonesia. This collaboration is part of the effort to bolster the quality of Islamic higher education and the development of Arabic language learning.
"Al Azhar is willing to assist universities, especially public universities such as UIN and IAIN, to ensure quality control," said Nasaruddin Umar after returning from a working visit to Egypt under the mandate of President Prabowo Subianto in Tangerang, Banten, on Thursday, January 22, 2026.
According to Nasaruddin, Al Azhar will provide support not only through academic assistance, but also teaching staff. Egypt, he said, is ready to send much-needed lecturers to Indonesia, especially for the Arabic language.
"Al Azhar is also willing to send lecturers, especially to strengthen the Arabic language [teaching]. In fact, as many as 200-1,000 Arabic language experts from Egypt are ready to come to Indonesia," he said.
This collaboration is aimed at strengthening the capacity of Islamic higher education institutions to produce more competent graduates with global competitiveness. In addition to public universities, the assistance extends to private Islamic higher education institutions (PTKIS).
Nasaruddin added that Egypt plans to make an official visit to Indonesia in April 2026 to sign MoUs and further discuss the strategic education cooperation between the two countries.
Indonesia, Nasaruddin claimed, also received international appreciation during his meetings with the Egyptian government and world scholars. The country is considered to have a strategic role in the development of science and technology, including artificial intelligence (AI), which is deemed as a potential new force for the Islamic civilization.
In the meeting with Egyptian Minister of Awqaf Usamah Al-Sayyid Al-Azhari, the importance of anticipating technological advancements to leverage AI use to strengthen civilization, instead of the other way around, was also discussed.
"Indonesia is mentioned to have a very strategic role in the future," said Nasaruddin.
He added that this recognition also presents a challenge for Indonesia to emerge as a new center for the development of modern Islamic civilization amid global dynamics.
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