USU PR - The Universitas Sumatera Utara (USU) officially launched the Alumni Wakaf Deposit Program as a form of real contribution from alumni to support education and the development of the tridharma of higher education. The launch of this program was marked by the signing of a memorandum of understanding between USU, PT Bank Syariah Indonesia (BSI) Tbk, and the Izzatul Amaliyah KAMUSU Foundation, which took place on Friday, (06/12/2024) at the Digital Learning Center Building.

Through his remarks, USU Rector, Prof. Dr. Muryanto Amin. S.Sos., M.Si appreciated the collaboration that made the realization of this waqf program possible.

“Thank you to PT Bank Syariah Indonesia Tbk and the Izzatul Amaliyah KAMUSU Foundation for their willingness to collaborate with the Universitas Sumatera Utara in implementing the Waqaf Alumni Deposit Program which will be launched today,” said the USU Rector.

The rector further explained that the Alumni Wakaf Deposit program aims to collect funds from alumni, which are then invested in the form of sharia deposits. The proceeds from the deposit will be used as wakaf to support scholarships for USU students, while the principal value of the deposit remains safe and can be returned on the maturity date.

“The deposit is held for one year and will be returned when the maturity date has arrived without reducing the value of the alumni deposit concerned.

BSI will act as the deposit issuer, while the Izzatul Amaliyah KAMUSU Foundation is trusted as the nazir body that manages the wakaf funds. This program is expected to be a means to ensure the continuity of education for more students while supporting the improvement of the quality of education services at USU.

The Chairman of the Central Executive Board (PP) of the Alumni Association of the Universitas Sumatera Utara (IKA USU), represented by the Daily Chairman of PP IKA USU, Ir. Ikhsan Sembiring expressed his full support for the productive waqf program initiated by YIAKAMUSU. In his speech, he mentioned that this program is a big step in developing alumni contributions to education at USU.

“This program shows a big leap. If previously the scale of scholarships was only dozens, now the target is Rp20 billion per year to support 150 students,” Ikhsan said.

He emphasized the importance of understanding wakaf as an investment instrument in Islamic economics, especially through productive wakaf management.

The Chairman of YIAKAMUSU's Board of Trustees, Prof. Muhammad Zilal Hamzah, explained that this program adopts the Waqf Linked Deposit mechanism in collaboration with BSI as the fund manager and is in accordance with the rules of the Financial Services Authority (OJK).

Zilal further revealed that the initial target of fund collection is IDR2 billion in three months, with the proceeds channeled to help students complete their studies.

“Hopefully,our alumni friends can support our event, can fulfill our target for the next 3 months to collect around 2 billion rupiah, and we will get the benefits later given to students at USU,” Zilal explained.

This wakaf deposit program not only shows the strength of collaboration between various parties but also emphasizes the role of alumni in supporting the sustainability of education at their alma mater. This program is expected to be the first step towards wider productive waqf development in Indonesia.