Jakarta, October 17, 2025 — Indonesia’s Ministry of Religious Affairs is making significant progress in establishing the Directorate General (Ditjen) of Pesantren. Deputy Minister of Religious Affairs, Muhammad Syafi’i, confirmed that the initiative permit request for the creation of the new directorate has been officially signed and will soon be submitted to the State Secretariat.

The update came following Syafi’i’s meeting with Minister of Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform (Menpan RB), Rini Widyantini, at the ministry’s Jakarta office on Friday (17/10/2025). Also present were Deputy for Institutional Affairs, Nanik Purwati, and several officials from the Ministry of Religious Affairs, including Head of the Bureau of Organization and Governance (Ortala), Nur Arifin, Special Staff to the Deputy Minister, Gayatri, and Advisors Junisab and Jaka.

“Today I paid a courtesy visit to Minister Rini Widyantini. Alhamdulillah, there’s good news — the initiative permit for establishing the Directorate General of Pesantren has been signed today and will be sent to the State Secretariat,”
said Deputy Minister Syafi’i.

He expressed optimism that President Prabowo Subianto would issue the initiative permit before National Santri Day 2025, calling it a meaningful “gift” for Indonesia’s pesantren community.

“I’m optimistic that by Santri Day 2025, we’ll have this initiative permit issued by the President — a true gift for the pesantren movement,”
he added.

Syafi’i extended appreciation to the Menpan RB for their continued guidance throughout the proposal process, which has been ongoing since 2019 and re-submitted in 2021, 2023, and 2024.

“The Menpan RB team has consistently provided technical assistance. Alhamdulillah, under Minister Rini’s leadership, we’ve seen significant progress. We deeply appreciate their commitment,”
he noted.

Why the Directorate General of Pesantren Matters

According to Syafi’i, the establishment of the Directorate General is crucial, as pesantren (Islamic boarding schools) hold a central role as mandated by Law No. 18 of 2019 on Pesantren, which outlines three primary functions: education, da’wah (religious outreach), and community empowerment.

“These three functions have been carried out by pesantren long before Indonesia’s independence — they’ve existed since the 15th century,”
he said.

In the education sector, pesantren now manage institutions ranging from elementary levels to higher education (ma’had aly), serving millions of students who study Islam rahmatan lil ‘alamin — a moderate and inclusive understanding of Islam.
In da’wah, pesantren promote the principles of tawassuth (moderation), tawazun (balance), i‘tidal (justice), and tasamuh (tolerance).
Meanwhile, in community empowerment, pesantren have become key players in strengthening local economies through entrepreneurship, vocational programs, and self-sufficiency initiatives.

“Pesantren play a vital role in poverty alleviation, reducing inequality, and fostering inclusive economic growth — especially in rural areas,”
Syafi’i emphasized.

Currently, the Ministry of Religious Affairs records over 42,000 registered pesantren, with the total estimated at around 44,000 when including those not yet formally documented. These institutions serve more than 11 million santri (students) and are supported by approximately one million kiai (teachers and religious scholars).
Additionally, the Directorate of Pesantren currently supervises 104,204 Madrasah Diniyah Takmiliyah (MDT) and 194,901 Qur’an Learning Institutions (LPQ) across Indonesia.

“A Directorate General is essential because it reflects the real administrative scale needed to serve our religious communities effectively. We have already completed a workload analysis for each unit once this Directorate General is formed,”
Syafi’i explained.

He concluded by expressing hope that the initiative permit from the President will be issued before October 22, 2025, coinciding with National Santri Day.

“This would be a symbolic gift and a tribute to all kyai who have devoted their lives to developing pesantren,”
he said.

(Source: Ministry of Religious Affairs / humassk)