Wisdom, education, controversy: The historic footing of ‘pesantren’

The governance and controversial politics surrounding Islamic academic institutions came to a head in recent weeks after a three-story pesantren (Islamic boarding school) in Sidoarjo, East Java, collapsed last month, killing 67 students and injuring over 170 others.

One of Sidoarjo's oldest Islamic boarding schools, Al-Khoziny had existed for over a century before its collapse, attracting students decades before Indonesia's independence and predating even its current affiliate, the Islamic mass organization Nahdlatul Ulama (NU).

While Islamic boarding schools do not fall under the purview of the Primary and Secondary Education Ministry, they remain a legitimate form of formal private education overseen by the Religious Affairs Ministry. Official data from the ministry states that over 4.9 million students are spread across 40,000 Islamic boarding schools in 2024 alone.

These Islamic boarding schools center their curriculum on exploring the religion and its various disciplines, from Islamic theology to the Arabic language. Conservative institutions will tend to restrict study to these disciplines, while more progressive ones will also incorporate the national curriculum for their students.

Students within this institution are named santri, while their teachers and faith leaders are called kyai. Islamic boarding schools serve as both an academic and social institution for santri. They are low-cost alternatives to formal schooling and are favored by families who wish to educate and train their children in both academics and faith.

Despite their cultural importance, Islamic boarding schools are often clouded by controversy due to their feudal practices and lackluster oversight by the Religious Affairs Ministry. Their direct relationship with Islam, the country’s majority religion, also prevents sound criticism from taking place due to the potential political backlash among their loyal base.

In the case of the Al-Khoziny Islamic boarding school, its complete collapse was caused by unauthorized construction. While the Islamic boarding school has existed for over a century, it did not have the necessary permit to continue building on top of the pre-existing structure. Both law enforcement authorities and civil engineering experts have noted that the building was not strong enough to hold the additional weight of construction, resulting in its eventual collapse.

The tragedy sparked nationwide outrage regarding Islamic boarding school management, prompting Public Works Minister Dody Hanggodo to reveal that fewer than 0.1 percent, only 50 out of 42,000 registered schools, possess a legal building permit. Dody has pledged to ensure the quality of these buildings in the future to prevent any more tragedies such as this one from taking place.

After the Al-Khoziny building collapsed, one video began to circulate widely on social media showing hundreds, if not thousands, of young santri participating in the construction work of a multi-story Islamic boarding school building in Kediri, East Java, with little to no protective wear. A large mass of young students is seen at all levels of the unfinished building, sitting on ledges on the top floor or climbing up scaffolding with nothing but a peci (traditional prayer cap) as headwear.

While this practice may be unfamiliar to many in the urban population, the sight of santri engaging in manual labor is not uncommon within Islamic boarding school life. Physical labor has long been seen as part of the communal way of life that defines these institutions. Following the tragedy, however, Coordinating Social Empowerment Minister Muhaimin Iskandar pledged that the tradition would be reevaluated to ensure student safety. Dody, however, later announced that his ministry would launch a free construction training program for santri, aiming to provide the technical know-how for them to partake in the work safely.

While practical, this solution avoids tackling the glaring issue of child labor and exploitation in its entirety.

Other forms of exploitation have long been embedded in the Islamic boarding school feudal hierarchy, where kyais command unquestioned obedience from their students. One recent example occurred when a Trans 7 television broadcast aired a video clip showing santri lining up on their knees, taking turns to hand money to their kyai in a gesture of respect and devotion.

The footage sparked immediate outrage on social media, prompting kyais and Islamic boarding school communities nationwide to mobilize in defense of the institution’s reputation and demand an official apology from the private television network, which Trans 7 eventually issued amid mounting pressure.

The debate over abuse and exploitation intensified when Religious Affairs Minister Nasaruddin Umar recently downplayed reports of sexual assault against santri, accusing the media of exaggerating “rare occurrences” and of attempting to discourage families from sending their children to Islamic boarding schools. Activists and civil society groups have condemned Nassarudin’s statements, calling them insensitive and improper, as cases of sexual harassment, no matter the amount, should always be treated as matters of grave concern.

Despite recent controversies, Islamic boarding schools in Indonesia have undeniably served as an incubator for some of the nation’s most influential figures. Former vice president Ma’ruf Amin, seasoned politician Mahfud MD, Muhaimin, and former president Abdurrahman “Gus Dur” Wahid all spent a portion of their upbringing within these religious institutions. Due to their profound contribution to the state, in 2015, the government declared Oct. 22 the Santri Day.

Islamic boarding schools are and will always be a part of this country’s diverse set of academic institutions. This praise, however, should not be clouded by the negligence of its operators and government officials, who continue to hide behind the guise of customs and tradition when faced with accountability, especially when the lives and safety of children are at stake.