MUKOMUKO – Attending university is now increasingly accessible to people in Kecamatan Air Dikit, Penarik District, and surrounding areas. Sentra Layanan Universitas Terbuka (SALUT) Mukomuko has officially partnered with Pondok Pesantren Al Fattah Nailul Anwar (AFNA) in Desa Sari Makmur, Kecamatan Air Dikit, to expand access to higher education services for communities in the area.

Through the partnership, residents can not only obtain Universitas Terbuka (UT) registration and information services within the Islamic boarding school, but also have the opportunity to earn their degree while living at Ponpes AFNA.

Head of SALUT Mukomuko H. Ruslan, S.Pd., M.Pd., said that registration for UT students through Ponpes AFNA is scheduled to open on October 10, 2026. The availability of these services is expected to provide a solution for people who have previously faced obstacles related to distance, time, or cost when seeking to continue their education at the university level.

“People who want to study at Universitas Terbuka can register directly at Ponpes AFNA,” Ruslan said.

In addition to registration, lectures are planned to be held within the Ponpes AFNA environment. This means that students from Air Dikit, Penarik, and surrounding areas will not always have to travel to the SALUT service center in Mukomuko to participate in lectures.

This scheme is also appealing because students have the opportunity to study while living at the boarding school. This means that students who need accommodation can simultaneously stay in an Islamic boarding school environment that supports educational activities.

“Not only that. UT students also have the opportunity to live at the boarding school while studying at Ponpes AFNA. This concept is expected to provide additional value, particularly for students who need accommodation as well as an educational environment that supports the learning process,” Ruslan explained.

The partnership is also in line with the spirit of expanding access to education. For communities in areas relatively far from higher education service centers, the presence of UT services within an Islamic boarding school can help reduce geographical barriers as well as travel costs.

UT’s flexible education model also provides opportunities for people to continue working or carrying out other activities while pursuing higher education. Thus, the opportunity to attend university is not limited to those who can leave their daily activities to study on campus.

The caretaker of Ponpes AFNA, KH Miftahul Huda Alhakimi, or Gus Huda, welcomed the partnership. He appreciated the trust placed by SALUT Mukomuko in making Ponpes AFNA one of the locations for UT services and planned lecture activities.

According to him, the collaboration is a positive step toward expanding public access to education.

Viewed more broadly, this initiative also supports Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 on Quality Education, particularly by expanding opportunities for inclusive and accessible education. The collaboration between a higher education institution and an Islamic boarding school demonstrates that access to education can be brought closer to communities without eliminating the character of the existing learning environment.

With UT services now available at Ponpes AFNA, the options for people in Mukomuko to pursue higher education are increasingly open: their studies can continue, daily activities can continue, and for those who need it, living at the boarding school can also become part of their educational journey.