The World of Pesantren in Indonesia

Pesantren, madrasah, Sekolah• santri = student

Pesantren = a place for students (to learn Islam), Islamic boarding school, primarily private – Traditional: generally in rural areas, traditional Islamic knowledge,

boarding school, full-time, traditional leadership – Modern: traditional Islamic knowledge and modern knowledge (math,

science, computer, etc), boarding school, modern style of management, more in urban centers

• madrasah: Arabic term for school (but in it has become to mean “religious school” /madrasah diniyah), Madrasah (6.3 % of them now state-funded)

• Sekolah : General School (Sekolah Umum)

• MADRASAH– Modern, combination of the

religious and the nonreligious, not boarding school

– a generic term for Islamic school, more popularly used in Singapore and the Philippines

• SEKOLAH – Private and Public: mostly modern

subjects, with weekly two-hour obligatory religious subjects

Other related terms/names

• pondok (travelers’ inns, in parts of Indonesia, but particularly in Malaysia and Cambodia)– Pondok Pesantren

• surau (in Sumatera) • dayah (in Aceh, Sumatera)

History of Pesantren

– emerged since the 16th century– Transmission of Islamic knowledge (from Arabia and

Egypt, some cases India) to Southeast Asia – Houses, mosques, and pesantren

• In the colonial time:– Growing, but mostly independent – Centers for anti-colonial resistance (e.g. the Acehnese

War, the Javanese War)– Competing with missionary schools and colonial

schools

Pesantren after Indonesia’s independence (1945-present)

• Nation-building --- efforts for integrating many into the national education system– include non-religious subjects – Include civic education (Pancasila and the 1945

Constitution) • Include skill-oriented subjects (agriculture, crafts,

business, etc) • Until the 1910s, pesantrens were male institutions,

although some girls received religious instruction. But in 2001/02, girls’ enrollment equals or exceeds boys.

The number of Pesantren (today)

• Now about 13,000 pesantrens in Indonesia (about 2,000 in the Philippines, nearly 1,600 in Thailand, 500 in Malaysia, several hundred in Cambodia, and about 10 in Singapore)

• Pesantren Darul Istiqamah, Pesantren Nurul Hidayah, Pesantren Sunan Drajat Medali, Pesantren Al-Urwatul Wutsqaa, Pesantren SMP Salman Al-Farisi, Pesantren Darunnajah,Pesantren Darul Furqan,

Number of Enrollments (2002)

Pesantren Madrasah School 2,500,000 5,698,143 38,368,947Note: Madrasah enrollments increase during the

junior secondary school (grades 6-9): 21% of the student population

-- Indonesian parents think that religious education will help children during their teen years (which are seen as a time of potential turmoil)

Pesantren and non-Pesantren Education

Teaching: Morality (akhlak) --- Rationality (akal)Foundation: Islam ----- Indonesian NationalismGoal: Absolute Truth --- Relative TruthMethod: Memorization --- Discussion/Analysis Orientation: Hereafter ----- this World Attitude: sacred --- profane Leadership: charismatic --- rational

The Basic Elements of Pesantren and Their Role

• mosques (Masjid)• religious teachers/leaders

(Kiyai, alim/ulama, ustaz) and Nyai (female), Tuan Guru (in Lombok)

• religious books (Kitab, Kitab Kuning/yellow book)

• dormitory (pondok, asrama) : gender separated

Languages used in the pesantren

• Arabic -- written and oral • Malay and other local languages as the base

language -- mostly oral • Indonesian language (governmental curricula)• English, sometimes French and other foreign

language

Organization

• Foundations (YAYASAN) : community-based – (waqf, endowment) and zakat fund – Additional sources (cafeteria, bookstores/supplies,

laundry services, guest houses), sponsors

• Government Subsidies• Support from certain NGOs or political parties • International funding: – Middle East, and “the West”

An Example of the Organizational Structure of Pesantren

Endowment/Foundation

Leader/Kiyai/Pengasuh

Students

Teachers

Community

Formal Education Non-formal

Units in the Pesantren Organization

• Dormitory • Co-operative • Boy-scout/girl-scout• Information and documentation• Exercise and sports • Health and environment • Library • Human relations • Postal • Skills• Transportation• Cleanliness

• Entrepreneurship • Water • Electricity • Equipment • Guest reception • Etc

Nahdlatul Ulama (NU)and Muhammadiyah affiliations

• Most pesantrens are affiliated with the NU • Muhammadiyah run mostly madrasah or

sekolah agama (religious schools, generally private, but modern)

• Other pesantren are called “SALAFI Pesantren”– Mostly “moderate” and few “hard-line”

The Culture of Pesantren: Closed and Open

• Teacher- Student relationship: charisma, blessing (baraka), strong loyalty, respect

• Student- student relationships: friendship – networking

• Pesantren and the surrounding community: mutually beneficial

Arts, Music, Performances,

Popular Culture

• Poetry, Literature (novels), Films,

• Facebook, etc

The Curriculum by the Department of Religious Affairs (1982)

• The Qur’an and the Hadith• Islamic Thought (theology, philosophy, Sufism)• Fiqh (Islamic Law) and Social Institution • Islamic History and Civilization • Language: Arabic grammar, Arabic literature• Islamic Education (Tarbiyyah)• Islamic Mission (Dakwah) • Modern Thought in the Islamic World

Curriculum • Religious Knowledge (Ilmu Agama):

– Qur’an – Hadith– Morality (akhlak)– Islamic Law and Jurisprudence (sharia, fiqh)– Arabic grammar– Islamic History (tarikh)– Sufism (tasawwuf) – Logics (mantiq)

• Modern/General Knowledge (Ilmu Umum): Natural Sciences (biology, physics, chemistry) Social Sciences (history, sociology, Geography, etc), under the Department of National Education

• Vocation/skills: foreign language, computer, agriculture, crafts

Islamic Philosophy of Education

– God-centered, – volunteerism,– community-base and orientation, – simplicity, – controlled freedom, – independence, – practicing knowledge

Pedagogy in Pesantren

• Halaqah (sitting in a semi circle around a seated teacher)

• Memorization • Reciting and Memorizing the

Qur’an and the Hadith• Memorizing Arabic grammar

and conversation• Questions and answers

Daily Schedule of Modern Pesantren

• 04:00 am: wake-up, shower, morning prayer, reading/memorizing the Qur’an, reading books, breakfast, preparing for class

• 05:30-06:30 am: exercise • 07:00-12:30: going to classroom: modern

subjects and religious subject (government curricula)

• 12:30-14:00: noon prayer and lunch

Daily Schedule (continued)

• 14:00 -15:30: classroom, additional subjects • 15:30- 16:00: late afternoon prayer • 16:00 – 18:00: exercise, light activity, • 18:00 -19:00: dinner, sunset prayer, reading the

Qur’an• 19:00-19:30: evening prayer• 19:30-21:00: learning religious subjects • 21:00-23:00: in the dormitory, self-study, going to

sleep

The Role of Pesantren

• Producers of students well informed in Islamic studies well versed in their original, Arabic sources

• Producers of the would-be ulama

• The graduates have become increasingly diverse in study fields and professions: teachers, social activists, politicians, journalists, writers, governmental officials, businessmen, etc

The Impact of Pesantren

• Religiously, preservation of faith of Islam and its “traditional” branches of Islamic knowledge

• Socially, reform of society • Economically, community-based micro-economy • Politically , Islam becomes increasingly public • Globally , the dissemination of knowledge of

Indonesian Islam, global cooperation for tolerance and peace

Contemporary Problems and Challenges facing Pesantren

• Havens for terrorism? • Rigid and anti-modern? • Competition with government schools ---

Reform amidst modernity and globalization• Islam and Social problems: corruption,

inequality

Opportunities for Pesantren

• Renewed Popularity of Pesantren among the Indonesian population at large: Positive Images of the graduates as public figures, popular culture (novels, films)

• Modified Forms of Pesantren in urban areas:– Pesantren Kilat (Short Training)

• More public and international supports – exchange programs, scholarships,

Concluding remarks

• Pesantren has its intellectual, but primarily religious and moral goals

• As one of the diverse and dynamic types of school, pesantren continues to serve as an alternative education for many

• In Indonesia, as in other parts of Southeast Asia, “educational dualism” remains, but the future is shaped by both diversification and integration