Thursina International Islamic Boarding School (IIBS) develops continuously its strategic approach to establish a Center of Excellence (CoE) by maintaining a research culture within the school. This commitment is demonstrated through the implementation of the School Action Research Workshop, a systematic effort to foster a collaborative, structured, and sustainable research culture.
It presented Prof. Drs. H. Burhanuddin, M.Ed., Ph.D, Professor of Educational Leadership at Malang State University and Senior Advisor for Research, Nur Abidin, M.Ed as the CEO of Thursina, Hilmia Wardani, M.Pd as Chief of Thursina Excellence Institute (Texin), and Ratu Fatimah, Ph.D as Manager of Research & Center Development. The program became a strategic space to unite the vision of research development, human resource development, and the goals of data-based institutional quality improvement.
The agenda began with a presentation about Road to Center of Excellence by Ustadzah Hilmia Wardani, M.Pd. She explained that the development of Centers of Excellence is a long-term strategy of Thursina IIBS to ensure relevant, innovative, and impactful education. In the 2025–2026 period, Thursina IIBS is developing seven centers of excellence, including international curriculum management, Al-Quran memorization maintenance, a holistic management system, student learning assistance, foreign language development, and dormitory management.
The main topic was delivered by Prof. Drs. H. Burhanuddin, M.Ed., Ph.D.,discussing the concept of School Action Research deeply as a strategic approach to improve the quality of education.
"School Action Research is a concrete effort by schools to improve educational practices based on real-world problems, through a systematic, collaborative, and measurable process," explained Prof. Burhanuddin. He added that the action research approach is not only oriented toward system improvement but also toward developing individual capacity within the educational organization.
"Through action research, educators and education staff not only improve the quality of education, but also learn to become reflective and innovative problem solvers in their respective fields," he said.
Furthermore, Prof. Burhanuddin emphasized that School Action Research begins with identifying real-world problems in schools, followed by formulating alternative solutions, and then planning measurable and continuously evaluable corrective actions. It is hoped that a reflective, adaptive, and innovative culture will develop within Thursina IIBS through the process.
The event closed with a presentation from Ratu Fatimah, Ph.D. regarding TRUST (Thursina Research for Upgrading Schools and Teachers) as the main platform for scientific communication at Thursina IIBS.
"We designed TRUST as a scientific communication space that encourages each Center of Excellence to actively conduct research, document best practices, and build an open and collaborative academic culture," she said.
The workshop emphasized that the development of the Center of Excellence at Thursina IIBS is inseparable from the reinforcement of structured and participatory school research. The synergy between School Action Research, the development of the CoE, and the presence of TRUST is expected to provide a strong foundation for building excellent, competitive, and impactful Islamic education for civilization. (lil)
