Morning Briefing at Al Zaytun, Building a Culture of Discipline and Synergy
(Series Getting to Know Traditions at Mahad Al Zaytun)
INDRAMAYU-JAYA NEWS.COM – Every morning at the Mahad Al-Zaytun campus does not only begin with the rising sun, but also with the pulse of the busyness of teachers and employees rushing to strategic points where they are assigned. When asked where they are going, their answer is in unison: briefing. This simple word is no longer just a routine activity, but has become a work culture that is strongly embedded in the Al-Zaytun education system. This morning briefing has been taught by Syaykh Al Zaytun since Mahad Al Zaytun was established, even since the early days of the establishment of its physical building.
Briefing is not just a formality, but an effective means of organizational communication to convey information, formations, and instructions before an activity is carried out. The goal is clear—to increase awareness, understanding of goals and procedures, and to strengthen coordination between educational elements.
Chair of the Teachers’ Council, Drs. Purnomo, M.Pd., to Jaya-News.com, Thursday (06/26/2025) explained that the morning briefing was used to evaluate what had been done, convey important information, and provide daily work instructions.
“This ritual was led directly by the head of each educational unit, ending with the recitation of a prayer of thanksgiving:
“Rabbi awzi’nii an asykura ni’matakallatii an’amta ‘alayya wa’ ala waalidayya wa an a’mala shaalihan tardhaahu wa adkhilnii birahmatika fii ‘ibaadikas shaalihin” (QS An-Naml: 19),
continued by the prayer rabbana maa khalaqta hadza baathila subhaanaka faqina adzabannar (QS Ali Imran verse 191), and closed with a national prayer by singing Indonesia Raya three stanzas which were followed simultaneously by teachers, education staff, and all students in each class,” he explained.
All information from the briefing was summarized by the notary of each unit and disseminated via the WhatsApp group so that all parties received information uniformly and quickly.
Regular and Consistent Briefing Structure
The time for the briefing has been determined precisely. For teachers, the briefing is held at 06.30 WIB–06.55 WIB in their respective rooms: Umar Building for MI, Ali Building for MTs, and Utsman Building for Madrasah Aliyah. Meanwhile, the employee briefing is held in the yard of the Rahmatan Lil ‘Alamin Mosque, led by the Development Team and one of the work unit exponents.
After the general briefing, each unit continues with a follow-up briefing according to their internal structure. This reflects a structured and simultaneous work culture: each unit moves in parallel but remains connected in the rhythm of a large organization called Al-Zaytun.
Uniquely, even during the holidays, the briefing never stops. Because the teacher leave system is arranged in waves into three groups, there is always a third of the teachers on standby on campus.
“Briefing during leave continues because educational work never takes a break,” said Dr. Ali Aminulloh, S.Ag., M.Pd.I., M.E., Chairman of the Student Dormitory Control Council (MPAP), also provided an explanation to Jaya-News.com.
Briefing During Leave: Consolidation, Language, and National Spirit
During the holiday period, briefings were held in a slightly different format. Centralized in turns in dormitories designated by MPAP. Before the main agenda began, there was a 30-minute language training by the Language Improvement Team, from 07.30 WIB to 08.00 WIB. The goal was to hone the linguistic competence of teachers as an integral part of their self-development.
The official briefing began at 08.00 WIB with a series of activities: opening, singing Indonesia Raya, reciting the Asmaul Husna and Asmaun Nabi prayers, to the delivery of material by the leaders of the Teachers Council and MPAP. Not to forget, the prayer for the task escort was also recited again, as if to seal a new spirit every day.
After the central briefing, the teachers returned to their respective dormitories. There, the briefing was continued by the dormitory’s mudabbir, conveying daily activities and targets that must be achieved. During this time, teachers, in addition to preparing for the next semester’s learning, also do practical work: cleaning the environment, repairing the dormitory, and various other physical activities.
Each briefing result is then reported to the WA group of each unit. This report becomes the basis for evaluation and planning the next activity. A disciplined, controlled, and sustainable work cycle is formed.
With consistent briefings every morning, both on weekdays and holidays, Al-Zaytun teaches that big changes can only be born from small disciplines that are carried out continuously. This is the pulse of Al-Zaytun: working in silence, orderly in steps, and meaningful in every movement. **
Ali Aminulloh
Jaya-News.com Special Contributor
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