Academic Partnership Strategy in Dissecting Liberal Narratives for Islamic Religious Instructors in Metro City

Abstract

This policy study is motivated by the low quality of functional Islamic Religious Extension Workers, which has an impact on strengthening the liberal character of critical urban communities in Metro City, Lampung. This study aims to analyze the root causes of this failure and formulate tactical policy recommendations to boost the analytical capacity of grassroots officials. The method used is an evidence-based descriptive-qualitative policy analysis with problem screening using the Urgency, Seriousness, and Growth (USG) matrix and alternative evaluation using William N. Dunn's criteria. The results of the multilevel causal analysis indicate that the main root of the problem stems from the absence of an institutionalized partnership network with local universities and the lack of a forum for sustainable multidisciplinary discussions at the regional level. This obstacle is exacerbated by the rigidity of the top-down national training curriculum and employee recruitment regulations that ignore the specialization of intellectual competence. In conclusion, the development of theological competence of religious extension workers cannot be carried out independently by the regional bureaucracy but requires a cross-sectoral collaborative governance approach. Therefore, it is recommended that the Head of the Lampung Province Ministry of Religious Affairs Regional Office issue a Circular (SE) on Mandatory Academic Partnership Instructions. This regulation requires the Metro City Ministry of Religious Affairs Office to institutionalize formal cooperation (Memorandum of Understanding) with local Islamic religious universities to organize periodic mentoring sessions on contemporary Islamic thought to train the critical thinking of functional extension workers in the field.