I am not a woman but write about women because I know that since in the cradle of the swing, many basic life lessons that I and most readers learn from women, namely mothers. Just as the poet Ahmad Syauqi said, "A woman (mother) is an educational institution, which if she really prepares herself, means that she has prepared a generation that is truly powerful." Therefore, empowering women by improving the quality of their education is a necessity.
Historically, the topic of women has always been interesting to read, study, discuss and write about. Teungku Abdul Hamid M. Djamil Lc., M.Ag., in the book "Like This Is Islam Honoring Women" explains at length how the situation of women in major civilizations in history. Starting from the civilizations of Greece, Rome, India, especially the pre-Islamic Arab era.
The women's rights
One general outline of all these civilizations is that women do not really get their rights as humans. Never mind the right to education, the right to live is hard to come by. Until finally Islam came with the mediator of the Prophet Muhammad to give these human rights to women. Over time, women end up getting the same share as men in terms of work, education, and so on.
Women and education should always coalesce. Because the pros and cons of future generations depend heavily on women. When a child is born, the first knowledge it receives is from the mother. So those children are descendants of a smart mother. This is what is rarely reflected on by women who have or will work as housewives.
The majority of Acehnese women do not earn a living, but instead do household chores and take care of children. However, many who become IRT are those whose education is not very high. The excuse is because you won't have a career, so you don't need to go to college and so on. Even though being smart is not only for finding work but as a provision for life. Life will be much easier if we have a lot of knowledge and insight.
In addition, smart women will create a smart generation as well. So that the requirements to become a housewife should be at least the same as the requirements to work in a bank, or become a doctor or nurse. If these mainstream jobs require employees to have at least a bachelor's degree, a housewife should be too.
Being a housewife is not always about cooking, washing, and sweeping skills. More than that, a housewife is a household manager, where her job is to manage all the needs, income, expenses, security, and comfort of a family. So that a sakinah, mawaddah, warahmah family can be realized, as the main purpose of marriage.
Acehnese mothers should be carong (smart) women. Because before a child gets an education at school, he will first learn from his mother. If Acehnese mothers are broad-minded, they can teach their own children at home especially when almost all schools implement an online home learning system in the current pandemic.
The mother replaced Mathematics, Physics, Biology, and Social Science teachers. Mothers who teach their children natural sciences and foreign languages. If a mother is not highly educated, then she will be overwhelmed when faced with situations like this. Conversely, if the mother is highly educated, then the child will see that he can learn a lot only from a mother.
Education for women
Being a housewife does not mean having low education. On the other hand, they must be well educated. Acehnese society, in general, has a stigma that women do not need to study too highly because, in the end, they will also take care of the household and not work.
This was broken by Prof. Eka Sri Mulyani, the youngest female professor at UIN Ar-Raniry. Prof. Eka is a woman, but her career in academia is very high. Even managed to win the title of professor after starting a family. This he achieved in addition to taking care of the household. Prof. Eka is an example of what Aceh women should be.
Educated humans, both male, and female will automatically be elevated in rank. Acehnese women who are strong can also take part in making Aceh more advanced, fair, and prosperous. In the smallest scope, women can help make a family prosperous. In a large scope, Aceh women can work together regardless of gender in developing Aceh in terms of politics, economy, tourism, and so on. So that Acehnese women are not only spectators of development, but also intervene.
Since the colonial period, this was the case for Acehnese women. Not only as a companion but also to help fight against the invaders. Cut Nyak Dhien is an example. When Teuku Umar died, he immediately took control. It is because of his high intellect so that he can lead the resistance.
This proves that Acehnese women were and should now become strong Acehnese women. []
Fadhil Mubarak Aisma, student of the Ummul Ayman College of Sharia Sciences, Pidie Jaya, Aceh, Indonesia. This article was the third winner of a writing competition on the theme of Hope for Change in Aceh 2021 which was held by Universitas Malikussaleh and supported by Mubadala Petroleum, Premier Oil, and SKK Migas.
