On Monday, July 1, 2024, the Faculty of Public Health (FPH) at Universitas Indonesia (UI) held a Doctoral Promotion defense for Azizatul Hamidiyah. The Promoter for her dissertation was Prof. Dr. drg. Sandra Fikawati, M.P.H., with Co-Promoters Ir. Ahmad Syafiq, M.Sc., Ph.D., and Dr. Nahe’i, M.H.I. The defense was chaired by Prof. Dr. dr. Sabarinah Prasetyo, M.Sc., with the examination committee comprising of Prof. Dr. H. Waryono, M.Ag.; Dr. Edi Setiawan, S.Si., M.Sc., MSE.; Wendy Hartanto, M.A., Ph.D.; and Dien Anshari, S.Sos., M.Si., Ph.D. During the session, the doctoral candidate defended her dissertation titled “Peer Education Model in the Preparation for Family Life among Female Santri in Islamic Boarding Schools.”
Azizatul Hamidiyah was born and raised in the Salafiyah Syafi’iyah Sukorejo Situbondo Islamic boarding school. She completed her education from Raudhatul Athfal (RA) to high school at the same boarding school. Currently, Azizatul is focused on reproductive health, particularly family planning from a young age, as a strategy to reduce child marriage and manage pregnancy for achieving a quality family life. Her dissertation research aligns with this focus, combining scientific knowledge with Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh) related to women’s health.
In her presentation, Azizatul highlighted a significant issue: the high rate of child marriages in Indonesia, which is reflected in the substantial number of child marriages among santri, both through unregistered (siri) marriages or marriage dispensations. Her research found that most santri plan to have more than two children and are not considering or unaware of contraceptive use for family planning. This indicates a lack of preparation for family life among santri in the boarding school environment.
To address this, Azizatul proposed a solution: the Peer Education Model. Peer education has proven to be an effective approach for preparing female santri in Islamic boarding schools for family life. In the close-knit environment of a pesantren, where students are often more comfortable discussing topics with their peers, peer education allows for natural and relevant knowledge transfer. Through this approach, female santri trained as peer educators share valuable information and experiences with their peers on various aspects of family life, such as marriage planning, household economic management, family communication, and reproductive health. This model leverages the strong and supportive social dynamics among santri, making the learning process more interactive, practical, and directly addressing their needs.
Additionally, Azizatul published a book titled “Preparing for Family Life for Santri,” which presents a comprehensive perspective on family preparation. The book covers topics such as the importance of being ready for family life, the ideal age for marriage, appropriate family size, the importance of spacing pregnancies, and family planning. The book offers insights not only from a health perspective but also from an Islamic viewpoint, providing a deeper understanding and awareness of family preparation for santri. It is hoped that the book will be an essential resource for santri, teachers, and administrators of Islamic boarding schools.
At the conclusion of the defense, the head of the examination board, Prof. Dr. dr. Sabarinah Prasetyo, M.Sc., announced that Azizatul Hamidiyah successfully passed and was awarded the Doctoral degree in Public Health Sciences. She became the 413th doctoral graduate of FPH UI and achieved Cum Laude honors with a GPA of 3.85.