The need to advance scholarship in early childhood education and Islamic education management is a priority for the Faculty of Tarbiyah and Education (FITK) at UIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta as it prepares two doctoral study programs. The faculty's readiness to offer both programs was reviewed through a field assessment for the permit to establish new study programs in the field of religious sciences, held on Friday, October 2, 2026, in the Meeting Room on the first floor of FITK.

The two proposed programs are the Doctoral Program in Islamic Early Childhood Education (PIAUD) and the Doctoral Program in Islamic Education Management (MPI). The assessment is an important stage for evaluating the faculty's readiness to deliver education at the highest level, as well as for gathering input to strengthen academic quality.

Vice Rector for General Administration, Planning, and Finance Prof. Mochamad Sodik stressed that preparing a doctoral program demands great seriousness and academic responsibility. He expressed confidence in the preparations made by the dean and the team and hoped the evaluation process would help ensure the quality of both programs from the very beginning.

“The doctoral level is the highest level of education. We hope this process can be guided so that the quality and reputation of both programs live up to expectations,” Prof. Sodik said.

In his view, universities and evaluators play complementary roles in safeguarding the quality of education. For that reason, feedback received during the assessment should be treated as part of continuous improvement. He also emphasized the spirit of solidarity among state Islamic universities in contributing to the advancement of education in Indonesia.

The assessment was also attended by Vice Rector for Student Affairs and Cooperation Prof. Abdur Rozaki; FITK Dean Prof. Sigit Purnama; the vice deans; and the assessment teams for both study programs.

The evaluation team consisted of Prof. Fauzi of UIN Saifuddin Zuhri Purwokerto, Prof. Abdul Rohman and Prof. Fahrurrozi of UIN Walisongo Semarang, and Prof. Syamsun Ni'am of UIN Sayyid Ali Rahmatullah Tulungagung.

In his remarks, Prof. Syamsun Ni'am highlighted faculty resources as a key element in delivering graduate education. He noted that master's and doctoral programs must be supported by at least two full professors in a linear field of expertise serving as home-base faculty. Attention to this alignment of expertise is part of the review of the academic readiness of the proposed programs.

The event then continued with a field evaluation by the evaluators together with the teams from both prospective programs. This process gave the faculty an opportunity to demonstrate the readiness it has built and to follow up on the feedback received.

For UIN Sunan Kalijaga, preparing the PIAUD and MPI doctoral programs at the Faculty of Tarbiyah and Education carries the responsibility of ensuring educational quality at the highest level. The assessment is an important stage for reviewing faculty readiness, supervision capacity, and the research environment as the foundation for both programs.

On that foundation, the planned programs are intended to prepare academics, researchers, and consultants who can advance knowledge and offer research-based solutions. In time, they are expected to promote inclusive and transformative Islamic education, through learning that is sensitive to children's needs and institutional governance that is responsive to societal change. (humassk)