Pesantren, A New Offer

Education is not merely about transfer of information, but also character building. As the shaping of mental conduct is an inevitably hard work, the current majority education institutions can only preserve their so-called service to create a broad knowledge student, or at their best, an open minded learner. But slovenly, bothering the more important side of education itself, producing a wise man knows how to react with the informations. 

However, this project, a mere information transfer, has accomplished the mission of education in the West. For the concept of ratio in Western intellectual history is a different draft in comparing with muslim thinkers idea. It is a separated form from intellect –or intellectus-. Based on this construct, it is enough to instill informations into man in order to make a man, the “rational animal” –in Western view-.

In the other hand, muslim thinkers did not conceive of what understood as ratio as something separated from what is understood as intellectus. The real nature of intellect (‘aql) is that it is a spiritual substance by which the rational soul (al-nafsu al-natiqah) recognizes and distinguish the truth from falsehood (see al-Jurjani, Kitâb al-Ta’rifât).

Therefore, educational institution in Islamic way has more complicated work to be done. It requires a comprehensive progress to maintain both informational and spiritual awareness of students. It demands even greater effort from institution, teachers, and bigger cooperation with parents and those who play role in pupil environment. The hard work above, as we saw, cannot be done in the limited time, as the true school is the life itself.

For the modern school failed to answer the real educational challenges, pesantren –a native Indonesian education system- offers a new kind of solution. It provides a complete educational system that settles all the demands, not only information requisite, but also spiritual requirement from Islamic “rational animal”.

Moreover, for over decades, pesantren has stood as a beacon of Islamic learning, but also the source for nation advancement. Pesantren represents the harmony between tradition and development.

The traits of pesantren, education in its totality, guidance and being near from Allah as the source of knowledge. Again, it is contrast with Western typological paradigm that views human as the center of interest.  

Because of the nature of its kind of education, Pesantren, in this sense, offers more ideal approach to education. It offers more holistic approach on education. Education that doesn’t admit a dichotomical view. Education that produces a better personality. Better than mere full-informed animal.