A Master’s Degree from a Package Graduate. Is it possible?
(The Inspirational Story of Hartono, Tutor at Al Zaytun Community Service Center)
By: Ali Aminulloh
In the Postgraduate examination room at UIN Prof. K.H. Saifuddin Zuhri (UIN SAIZU), tension melted into emotion as five examiners, consisting of professors and doctors, delivered a unanimous decision. Before them stood Hartono, a 51-year-old man who had just proven that the fire of learning never dies.
That day, Wednesday, April 8, 2026, was not just a celebration of a new academic degree, but a proclamation that graduates of non-formal education are capable of standing tall at the pinnacle of achievement at state universities.
Hartono is no ordinary academic who has pursued a linear career from a young age. He is an alumnus of the Package C Program from Al-Zaytun Community Service Center, an equivalency education pathway often overlooked by some. However, in Hartono’s hands, that Package C diploma became a ticket to an extraordinary intellectual journey. He graduated with an A (Very Satisfactory) and officially earned a Master of Education (M.Pd.) degree, an achievement made all the more monumental by being the first student in his class to successfully pass his thesis defense in the PGMI Study Program.
Hartono’s speed and precision in completing his studies at the age of fifty demonstrated his unwavering discipline. It turns out that his mental toughness had long been forged on the mat as a Karateka with a National Dan IV Black Belt and a National Referee for Indonesian Karate. His physical discipline and martial arts philosophy apparently transformed into extraordinary academic diligence, enabling him to balance his time between piles of reference books and demanding tasks in the field.
Hartono’s existence in the world of non-formal education was not merely about pursuing a degree, but rather a true, structural commitment. As Secretary of the Al-Zaytun Community Learning Center (PKBM) and Vice Chair of the Al-Zaytun Alumni Association, he is the driving force behind the organization’s continued success. He fulfills this role alongside his busy volunteering schedule at the Indonesian Islamic Boarding School Foundation (YPI). He wants every equivalency student to see that their administrators are not merely theoretical educators, but living proof that PKBM graduates are capable of competing and excelling on the national stage.
This success has received high praise from Dr. Ali Aminulloh, M.Pd., ME., Head of PKBM Al-Zaytun. He views Hartono as an ideal prototype of the spirit of lifelong learning that is the soul of his institution. For Dr. Ali, Hartono’s achievements are strong validation that the Al-Zaytun education system is capable of producing competitive, resilient human resources who are highly committed to the development of knowledge, even in their twilight years.
Although now holding a master’s degree, Hartono remains grounded in deep humility. He emphasized that all the golden ink he has inscribed is a dedication to his beloved alma mater, Ma’had Al-Zaytun. For him, it was there that the foundation of his character and determination was first formed. This achievement is not merely about fulfilling personal ambitions, but rather a form of gratitude and dedication to the institution that has given him the opportunity to dream and realize them beyond the constraints of age.***
Indonesia, April 9, 2026
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