Commission VIII Of The House Of Representatives Supports The Establishment Of The Director General Of Islamic Boarding Schools In The Aftermath Of The Al Khoziny Tragedy

JAKARTA - Deputy Chairman of Commission VIII DPR RI, Singgih Januratmoko, responded to the emergence of a discourse on the formation of the Directorate General specifically handling Islamic boarding schools under the Ministry of Religion (Kemenag), after the collapse of one of the buildings at the Al Khoziny Islamic Boarding School (Ponpes), Sidoarjo.

Singgih assessed that the existence of the new institution is important considering the large number of pesantren throughout Indonesia, and its historical role in the nation's journey. He also supports that the Boarding School Directorate be upgraded to become the Directorate General, in order to strengthen the authority and institutional capacity in fostering pesantren in the country.

"In Indonesia there are around 5 million students and more than 42 thousand active Islamic boarding schools. If you become a Directorate General, this institution will be more empowered in protecting, fostering, and advancing pesantren," Singgih told reporters, Thursday, October 16.

According to Singgih, the tragedy of the collapse of the Al Khoziny Islamic Boarding School building is a warning of the vulnerability of governance and pesantren infrastructure. He emphasized the need for quality improvement, building standards, and technical supervision so that similar incidents do not happen again.

Pesantren memiliki atas sejarah yang kuat dan menjadi kutung pembentukan karakter bangsa. Negara harus hadir memberi dukungan nyata, katanya.

The Golkar legislator from the Central Java V electoral district assessed that the existence of the Directorate General of Islamic Boarding Schools would provide a more equal position for Islamic educational institutions in the structure of the Ministry of Religion. So that according to Singgih, assistance programs, training, and technical audits of buildings can be channeled more effectively.

"If there is a special Directorate General, every pesantren can get direct access to experts, building inspections, and repair funds that are transparent and on target," he explained.

Furthermore, the leadership of the Commission in charge of the religious sector also highlighted the imbalance in the distribution of funds for Islamic boarding schools, especially from the Eternal Islamic Boarding School Fund which is managed with the LPDP. According to him, the funds have been focused more on scholarships, while assistance for physical development and rehabilitation is still very small compared to the need.

Singgih revealed that the yield from the Endowment Fund for Education and Islamic Boarding Schools in 2023 reached Rp9.3 trillion, but only around Rp250 billion was channeled to Islamic boarding schools.

"In fact, ideally, Rp900 billion needs to be allocated to 5 million students so that the benefits are wider, not only for scholarships, but also for the construction and maintenance of facilities," he said.

In addition to institutional aspects and funding, Singgih assessed that strengthening pesantren human resources was also very urgent. He reminded that pesantren is the real face of Islamic education in Indonesia which has played a major role in educating the nation and instilling national values, but the government's attention to it is still not balanced.

There are still many Islamic boarding schools that are managed independently with limited facilities, minimal technology, and teachers that have not been certified. The Ministry of Religion's Balitbang data shows that more than 60 percent of teachers in Islamic boarding schools have not yet graduated. This is not a matter of ability, but a matter of access to education that has not been evenly distributed," he explained.

Singgih emphasized that Law Number 18 of 2019 concerning Islamic Boarding Schools has provided a strong legal basis for the state to support pesantren in education, da'wah, and community empowerment. However, the implementation is still slow.

"The establishment of the Directorate General of Islamic Boarding Schools will not increase the burden on the Ministry of Religion, because the Hajj affairs have now been handled by the Ministry of Hajj. In fact, with this Directorate General, pesantren development will be more focused and effective," concluded Singgih.