As educational quality is very crucial to human resources development, Dr. Nur Kholis, the Director of  Center for Studying and Milieu Development (CESMiD), believes that the quality relates to the stakeholders’ engagement. In his dissertation defense in Thursday (11/3/2014),  entitled, “Mutu Sekolah dan Budaya Partisipasi Stakeholders (Studi Fenomenologi di Sekolah Konvensional MIN Tegalsari, Wlingi, Blitar)”  or “The Quality of School and The Culture of Stakeholders’ Engagement (A Phenomenology Study in the Conventional school of MIN Tegalsari, Wlingi Resident, Blitar Region)”.

In his research, he focused on how stakeholders in MIN Tegalsari defined  a good school as well as described their experiences to develop and implement the culture of their engagement. In addition, he inserted the data about the headmaster’s opinion to define his roles in developing the culture of qood quality and stakeholders’ engagement in MIN Tegalsari.

Upon the examiners (Dr. Zuhdan Kun Prasetyo, M.Ed., Dr. Dwi Siswoyo, M.Hum., Prof. Zamroni, Ph.D., Sumarno, Ph.D., Prof. Dr. Noeng Muhadjir, dan Prof. Irwan Abdullah, Ph.D), he explained the research findings. The quality of school is divided into two categories, academic and nonacademic qualities. The culture of stakeholders’ engagement is categorized into microcosmic and macrocosmic aspects. The effort to improve the quality should be integrated in the level of school and class.

The increasing good school culture is the result of continuous and systematic efforts which are done by the headmaster. The strong and effective pattern of leadership is believed to successfully support the good school culture. Furthermore, the culture of the stakeholders’ engagament creates the high level of group solidarity which is stamped into the values and norms of a group based on the religion’s teaching and customs.

Succeeding in asserting his arguments, the examiners decided to offically give honor to Nur Kholis as the doctor in the field of Education. Dr. Nur Kholis is the 213th doctor of Graduate School of YSU and the 26th doctor for Educational Science. (Rb/febi)