Bandung Regency, July 2025 – The Faculty of Language and Literature Education (FPBS) at Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia (UPI) continues to demonstrate smart and strategic ideas in supporting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through its 2025 Community Service Program (PkM). This year, FPBS collaborates with UPI’s Faculty of Medicine (FK) to integrate literature into health education, particularly in Islamic boarding schools (pesantren).
This year’s PkM carries the theme “Prevent Scabies, Strengthen Faith: Skin Health Literacy Through Literature for Empowered and Healthy Pesantren”. The activity was held on Saturday (19/7) at Pondok Modern Ilmu Al-Quran Nurrohmah II, Pasirhuni, Cimaung District, Bandung Regency. The program integrates medical outreach and health literacy empowerment through a literary approach.
Interdisciplinary Collaboration
This cross-disciplinary collaboration featured speakers from two different academic fields. Representing FPBS were Dr. Halimah, M.Pd. (Head of the PkM Team) and Prof. Dr. Yulianeta, M.Pd., while FK UPI was represented by Dr. Gita S. Purnama Adiprima, Sp.KK. and Dr. Muhammad Ersyad Hamda, M.Kes.
The joint team from FPBS and FK UPI designed an educational program on skin health, specifically focusing on the prevention and treatment of scabies. The materials were creatively delivered using literary forms such as poetry (pantun) and short stories with health-related themes.
This interdisciplinary approach reflects the synergy between literature and medical science in creating sustainable impact, as outlined in the SDGs. It provides a concrete example of improving health and well-being in pesantren communities through community-based health education, while also offering quality education through effective and participatory methods.
Healthy Students, Empowered Pesantren
In line with the PkM theme, the event began with a session led by Dr. Ersyad, who provided insights on personal hygiene and recognizing symptoms of skin diseases. His session was informative and accessible for the students. In the second session, Prof. Yulianeta engaged students in a poetry writing activity related to health. “Literature can be a fun yet powerful medium for raising awareness,” she noted during the interactive session.
Later, Dr. Halimah strengthened the students’ creative skills by guiding them in writing short stories under the theme Clean and Healthy Living Behavior (PHBS). Following the literary workshop, FK UPI’s medical students conducted direct health checks and education sessions for the pesantren students.
The pesantren community warmly welcomed the program. “I’m happy to learn new things about scabies, and the literature workshop really motivated me to continue writing my novel on Wattpad,” said Citra, a 12th-grade student. Another student, Fadhlan, added, “Now I know more about skin health, how to write poems and stories, and I even got a prescription from the doctor. Thank you.”
This program helped students develop critical and expressive literacy while raising awareness about the importance of skin health. It is hoped that other universities will adopt this interdisciplinary service model to apply scientific knowledge in solving real social problems.