Reducing Divorce Rates, UNU Jogja Strengthens Family Resilience Program with the Ministry of Religious Affairs

Yogyakarta, Indonesia – Lecturers from the Interdisciplinary Islamic Studies (SII) Department at Universitas Nahdlatul Ulama Yogyakarta (UNU Jogja) are collaborating with the Directorate General of Islamic Community Guidance under Indonesia’s Ministry of Religious Affairs to support family development and resilience programs.

As part of this collaboration, SII lecturers participated in a Technical Training (Bimbingan Teknis/Bimtek) for Local Network Facilitators organized by the Directorate General of Islamic Community Guidance in the Special Region of Yogyakarta from April 7–10, 2026. The program brought together delegates from West Java, Central Java, and Yogyakarta.

Director of KUA Development and Sakinah Family Affairs at the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Ahmad Zayadi, stated that the training aims to strengthen cross-sector networks in supporting family development and resilience programs at the local level.

In line with this initiative, Head of the SII Department at UNU Jogja, Nuzulia Hidayati, emphasized that the university’s involvement reflects its commitment to supporting the government’s strategic programs in family resilience.

Through the Faculty of Dirasah Islamiyah and the Center for Population and Family Welfare Studies (Pusdeka), UNU Jogja is currently developing a premarital guidance program for prospective couples.

“We are in the process of applying for official authorization as a facilitator institution to organize premarital counseling, involving both lecturers and students of UNU Jogja,” she explained.

Premarital guidance has become increasingly important amid rising divorce rates in Indonesia. According to data from Statistics Indonesia (BPS), divorce cases in 2025 exceeded 438,000, marking an increase of around 10 percent compared to approximately 399,000 cases in the previous year.

Responding to this situation, Nuzulia noted that UNU Jogja has the potential to play an active role in providing premarital education as a preventive effort to reduce divorce rates.

“Given these conditions, UNU Jogja has an opportunity to contribute by preparing prospective couples through guidance programs to help reduce divorce rates,” she said.

She added that lecturers and students involved in the program will be trained as facilitators, and the program will also be open to the public.

Currently, UNU Jogja has sufficient resources, including cross-faculty support and certified mentors, to ensure the program’s successful implementation.

Nuzulia hopes that UNU Jogja’s involvement will strengthen the role of higher education institutions in supporting government programs while opening broader opportunities for collaboration in enhancing family resilience within society. [Latifah]