REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, MEDAN -- President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) will soon inaugurate six State Islamic Universities (UIN) to improve the quality of Islamic education in the country, Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Syaifudin said.

The UINs were formerly Institutes of Islamic Studies (IAIN), he said while inaugurating the joint lecture hall of North Sumatra State Islamic University here on Thursday.

The six IAINs which are upgraded to UINs are IAIN Sultan Thaha Saifuddin in Jambi, IAIN Imam Bonjol in Padang, IAIN Raden Bintang in Lampung, IAIN Sultan Maulana Hasanuddin in Banten, IAIN Antsari in Banjarmasin, and IAIN Mataram in West Nusa Tenggara.

The development of Islamic institutes of higher learning is part of the effort to accommodate graduates of Islamic senior high schools and Islamic boarding schools who want to pursue higher education.

Every year, thousands of youths graduate from Islamic senior high schools and Islamic boarding schools. The figures can be seen from the number of Islamic senior high schools and Islamic boarding schools which are found in districts and municipalities in the country.

As of 2016, the country has 49,337 Islamic schools and 28,194 Islamic boarding schools, according to the Religious Affairs Ministry.

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