BOGOR, WEST JAVA — “Dad died on the first day of Eid. That was before I started school. I wanted you to come and pick me up from school too. It felt like a really long time,” recalled Akmal Hisyam (13), recalling the beginning of his time in the SMART Ekselensia Indonesia boarding school with the Dompet Dhuafa team, Wednesday (20/7/2022).
But without realizing it, the teenager from Kebon Jeruk is now in the second grade at the leadership boarding school. Nowadays, Akmal really likes ICT (Information and Computer Technology) lessons and is involved in journalism extracurricular activities.
“From both, there is an opportunity to access the computer lab more often. There, I can learn a lot to find information and watch videos. I also try to find out where I want to continue school after graduating from here, where to study, and I have always enjoyed watching planes,” exclaimed Akmal, who aspires to become a pilot.
(left & right: Yusuf & Akmal)
The second of three children also admits that he now feels more independent, braver, and even more confident after attending SMART Ekselensia Indonesia. This is because even at home, he rarely interacted with many people.
“In the past, Emak wanted me to enter a boarding school. But I got info from a friend to enroll in SMART. After entering SMART, Emak was also happy because here the boarding is like a boarding school, especially since this second grade there is a Tahfidz subject,” he admitted again.
SMART Ekselensia Indonesia Dompet Dhuafa is an accelerated, boarding, and free high school for marginalized children who do not have the opportunity to obtain a quality education due to economic factors. SMART Ekselensia Indonesia organizes junior high school (SMP) and senior high school (SMA) which are taken for 5 (five) years.
(left & right: Adhityo, Akmal, Yusuf, & Salamun)
“Dad was happy and already knew that Akmal was accepted into SMART Ekselensia. But at that time it was really bad luck that Dad was working in Solo, he was a welder working out of town. Mom was the one who only gave the news. And Mom was the one who helped register and get into SMART first,” he continued.
Yes, when Akmal graduated from elementary school and enrolled in high school, his father was working out of town. Sometimes he only went home twice a year, especially during the month of Ramadan. Last year, in 2021, his father went home to Jakarta during the month of fasting.
(ki & ka: Adhityo, Akmal, Yusuf, & Salamun)
“Dulu Bapak buka bengkel las di sini. Tapi tutup karena gak kuat buat bayar sewa. Jadi, ikut orang kerja di Solo. Terus, bulan puasa kemarin pulang ke Jakarta, gak lama kemudian Bapak sakit. Pas lebaran hari pertama, Bapak meninggal,” kenang Akmal.
Lalu semburat tawanya mengembalikan asa, meski masih di awal sana, Akmal menyeru, “Sekarang banyak teman. Jadi inget juga serunya awal-awal di asrama. Sekamar itu isinya 5 orang. Pernah salah masuk kamar, bangun tidur ternyata kawannya beda, hehehe”. (Dompet Dhuafa / Dhika Prabowo)