Archive for year: 2023

Islamic education institutions are currently still working to improve quality. Quality improvement is based on two factors: the quality standards set by the government and the quality standards desired by the community.

Efforts to improve quality are carried out in various ways, one of which is by implementing strategies to improve the quality of educational institutions. This study seeks to analyze and find the implementation of quality improvement strategies for Islamic education institutions at SMP Islamic Qon Gresik. This research uses a qualitative approach, data collection techniques using in-depth interviews, participant observation, and documentation. Data analysis uses the Miles Huberman model, data condensation, data presentation, verification, and conclusion drawing.

Data were analyzed from single site data. Test the validity of the data through credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability. This study’s results indicate that the strategy’s implementation is carried out according to the strategy that has been formulated. Implementing programs that constitute a strategy is following the policies set. These policies include implementation techniques, rules, and regulations.

Youth entrepreneurship is crucial to the sustainable economic growth of the African Continent. It creates job opportunities for millions of Africans, it helps the government to allocate funds for other development areas that might have been affected due to the joblessness of the young people. It is interesting to know that Africa is the second most youthful populated continent after Asia; youths between 15-24 years of age constitute 19% of its demographic composition, while there is a projection that this figure may double by 2030 as youths’ percentage may rise and reach 42%. However, this indicates a promising, upright projection and bright future for the continent in the sense that young people are the main engine of sustainable development (Demographic Dividend). Nevertheless, massive unemployment and underemployment rates are the biggest challenges and obstacles that still stand ahead of Africa’s growth (Demographic Distress). Hence, to handle this social economic problem and predicament, entrepreneurship that has been massively engaged by many talented young Africans ought to be exhorted by the governments and other development stakeholders. It is, therefore, recommended to governments and stakeholders smartly invest in training young people about entrepreneurship, mainly in agriculture, IT, and ICT in addition to providing all necessary support and reducing systematic barriers that come their way in many African economies such as bureaucratic barrier, high-cost of doing business, lack of access to finances and the existence of deplorable infrastructures both tangible and intangible, etc. This paper discusses young entrepreneurs’ role in driving the development agenda and realization of the United Nations-initiated Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Africa. The Research is qualitative in nature to explore some of the challenges and prospects of youth entrepreneurship on the African Continent. The study concludes that entrepreneurship in general and youth entrepreneurship, in particular, are the main and must be the main engine of Africa’s economies, turning its demographic distress into dividends, and solving other associated sociopolitical and security challenges.

Law No. 18 of 2003 on Advocates, there explains that Advocates are entitled to honorariums of legal services they have provided to their clients. The problem is the honorarium received by the advocate from the client as suspects of money laundering crime is a legal honorarium or not according to the law and can it have implications for the criminalization of an advocate when receiving an honorarium from the client as suspects of money laundering crime? Based on the analysis of the legislation in force that the payment of honorarium from the client as suspects of money laundering crime as payment for legal services advocates are legal tender and can be held legally accountable. Advocates do not need to report on the honorarium they receive from the client as suspects of money laundering crime, this is because of the rules of secrecy of the position. Thus, advocates can not be prosecuted either civil or criminal in carrying out their profession. The Law on Advocates stipulates that they are entitled to receive fees or honorariums as compensation from the clients they are defending. This is related to the right of retention, namely the right not to return the documents held before the honorarium is first paid. Including using the right of retention to threaten and reduce the capacity as an advocate in defending and protecting his client. But in litigation, advocates are prohibited from using unnecessary costs, thus burdening their clients.

Private schools have the autonomy to provide the best education to students. This study was conducted to review pedagogical practices among teachers in a private school in the Shah Alam District. The focus of the study was on nine (9) aspects of pedagogical practices, namely critical thinking skills, collaborative skills, communication skills, creativity & innovation skills, teacher pedagogical practices, learning environment, peer learning, digital utilization, and emotional management. The study sample consisted of 32 teachers working in the respective school. A combined approach was used, employing a questionnaire as the main data collection instrument, while quantitative data was obtained through interviews. The study findings showed that overall, the level of PAK21 practice skills among teachers in private schools was moderately high (mean 3.47; sd=.47). The study also revealed three (3) aspects of pedagogical skills that need improvement among teachers: applying the use of digital technology when interacting with students (mean=2.91; sd=.78); managing the teaching process through virtual environments and digital tools (mean=3.13; sd=.66); and creating collaborative products using contributions from each student (mean=3.16; sd=.45). The researcher suggests that school administrators regularly organize in-service training, particularly related to teaching and facilitation. Workshops based on committees and areas of need should be implemented to enhance teachers’ competency in teaching and facilitation, and mentors should be appointed to provide guidance to new teachers who require support. Teachers are also encouraged to adopt lifelong learning processes to explore various teaching methods suitable for PAK21.

Peer review activities have a positive effect on improving the students’ writing skills. This paper ims to investigate the impacts of online peer review activities which were conducted synchronously and asynchronously. Pre-test was administered before the training to determine their level of academic writing skills before the treatment. Then, to get the data a total of 70 students were divided into two groups. 35 students were trained to do online peer review activities synchronously, while the other thirty students practiced to do the asynchronous online peer review. After having peer review exercises, they were given a test on how to do the peer review to measure whether the participants had the skills to do the peer review. The students were asked to review their peers’ essays in the next step. Before, they were given a post-test on writing an essay on the topic. The pre-test and post-test results were compared to know the impact of the peer review activities. The finding shows that students’ academic writing skills have improved. However, those who practiced the synchronous online peer review activities had better scores in their academic writing than those who conducted asynchronous online peer review activities. Thus, it can be concluded that online peer review activities positively improved the students’ writing skills.