Upaya Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) Jember dalam Pemberdayaan Masyarakat melalui Jalur Pendidikan: The Efforts of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) Jember in Community Empowerment through Education - M. Walid (Fenomena, 2005)
Large religious organisations such as NU are often criticised for being slow to empower communities despite having a strong mass base. This article examines NU Jember’s efforts to empower communities through formal and non-formal education. The study aims to describe empowerment strategies and the supporting and inhibiting factors. A qualitative-descriptive approach with phenomenological methods was employed, using observation, in-depth interviews, and documentary studies. Purposive sampling was applied, and data were analysed using a grounded theory model. The findings show that NU Jember conducts structural empowerment through organisational strengthening and cultural empowerment through socio-religious activities. Supporting factors include religious doctrines on the obligation to seek knowledge, low costs, and the dominance of kyai in society. Main obstacles are the dichotomy of knowledge, economic incapacity, patron-client culture, and low attention to educational quality. In conclusion, NU Jember has significantly contributed to empowerment, but curriculum reform and improved professional management of educational institutions are necessary. Fenomena organisasi keagamaan besar seperti NU sering dikritik lamban dalam pemberdayaan masyarakat, meskipun memiliki basis massa kuat. Artikel ini membahas upaya NU Jember dalam pemberdayaan masyarakat melalui jalur pendidikan, baik formal maupun nonformal. Penelitian ini bertujuan mendeskripsikan strategi pemberdayaan serta faktor pendukung dan penghambatnya. Pendekatan yang digunakan adalah kualitatif-deskriptif dengan metode fenomenologi, melalui observasi, wawancara mendalam, dan studi dokumentasi. Sampel ditentukan secara purposive sampling, dan data dianalisis dengan model grounded research. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa NU Jember melakukan pemberdayaan struktural melalui penguatan organisasi, dan pemberdayaan kultural melalui kegiatan keagamaan sosial. Faktor pendukung meliputi doktrin agama tentang kewajiban menuntut ilmu, biaya murah, serta dominasi kiai di masyarakat. Hambatan utamanya adalah dikotomi ilmu, ketidakmampuan ekonomi masyarakat, kultur patron-klien, serta rendahnya perhatian terhadap mutu pendidikan. Kesimpulannya, NU Jember telah berkontribusi signifikan dalam pemberdayaan, namun diperlukan reformasi kurikulum dan peningkatan profesionalisme pengelolaan lembaga pendidikan.