Failed 14 Times, Here's the Struggle of Achmad Hidayatullah UM Surabaya Lecturer Wins Doctoral Scholarships in Europe

There is always a way for those who are serious about education. Those words are always used as guidance by Achmad Hidayatullah, a Lecturer at the UM Surabaya Teaching and Education Faculty (FKIP), who is currently studying at the University of Szeged Hungary, Europe.

The man who was born in 1990 from Madura, East Java, told the editor of UM Surabaya about his life's journey which was not easy. What he achieved today required great patience and struggle.

In the interview he explained that his father and mother were farmers. As a child he often helped his father hoe. Since SMP and SMA Dayat decided to stay at the Sumenep Muhammadiyah Orphanage due to economic limitations. But this did not dampen his spirits. In the orphanage instead he could go to school for free.

Dayat explained that at the orphanage he could not live a luxurious life like other children. He couldn't even just buy snacks during recess, because the orphanage didn't provide pocket money.

"I am grateful to have been forged in an orphanage. I learned discipline, to be a responsible person. Learn religious knowledge in depth and most importantly I can go to school," Dayat explained Tuesday (14/6/22)

According to him, what was taught at the orphanage was very influential for his life so that he formed a struggle person amidst the limitations that he lived.

Ever sold empek-empek to cleaning service at the pharmacy

When he decided to study in Surabaya, his life was not easy. According to him that year universities in Indonesia did not provide bidikmisi scholarships like now. That year the campus had BBM and PPM scholarships but Dayat always failed.

"When I entered college, I was assisted by an orphanage. But to pay for my meal is still difficult. At that time the price of one plastic vegetable was 500-1000 rupiah. Every day I eat potluck, “explained Dayat.

According to him, he often buys tempeh and eats it raw as a side dish. He was well aware that his parents in the village could not provide him with material in full, so he had to make more efforts to survive in Surabaya.

“One day I could eat at 12 at night because there was really no money at that time. I also had one week of dried fish as a side dish because a friend gave me, "he said again.

Due to the economic limitations he experienced, Dayat decided to study while working. He worked as a seller of empek-empek to become a cleaning service. As a result, he becomes unable to focus while studying in class, plus the organizational activities are quite dense.

14 Failed Times Overseas Campuses Rejected

According to Dayat, before he was accepted at the University of Szeged Hungary, he had been rejected by dozens of foreign universities. In the 13th and 14th campus experiments he passed. He explained that the failure he experienced almost made him feel stressed and hopeless.

“I was frustrated because I didn't pass the study. I'm alone looking for a quiet place and avoid crowds, "he said.

Dayat explained that he had decided to study domestically if his 12th attempt failed, he had time to convey this to his family. However, it turned out that the fruit of his hard work was accepted at two overseas campuses, namely the National Dong Hwa University Taiwan and the University of Szeged Hungria. But he decided to take in Hungary, Central Europe.

Dayat Lectures and Conducts Progressive Islamic Propagation in Europe

According to Dayat, during the 2017-2019 period, many Muhammadiyah cadres from universities in Indonesia were accepted and successfully passed scholarships at the Stipendium Hungaricum for master's and doctoral studies and it was at that time that an agreement was formed to expand Islamic da'wah in Europe.

"One of the challenges of Muhammadiyah da'wah is the large number of young people who do not believe in God. This is a challenge for me and my friends apart from cultural and linguistic differences," he said.

According to him, the form of da'wah that is carried out is through dialogue of religious intellectual movements, related to issues of environmental damage, gender equality, social health and education.

Dayat also hopes that after completing his studies he can help improve the quality of education in Indonesia through the research he has conducted.

“There is always a way for anyone who is serious about seeking knowledge. Study diligently, be patient and accompanied by prayer,” he concluded.