Central Java and Malacca Expand Cooperation in Islamic Boarding School Education Sector

Taj Yasin said the strengthened collaboration follows on from the sister province partnership established between Central Java and Malacca since 2025.

Under the sister province scheme, two regional governments in different countries build an official partnership as an umbrella for cooperation across various fields, including education, culture, the economy, and human resource development.

“We will later confirm again how the cooperation between Malacca and Central Java will work, particularly between the pesantren in Central Java and one of the pesantren in Malacca,” Yasin said in a statement on Tuesday (14/7/2026).

He made the remarks whilst receiving a courtesy visit from Muhammad Hadi Al Muhibbin, head of the Al Muhibbin pesantren in Malacca, Malaysia, at the Deputy Governor’s official residence in Semarang on Monday (13/7).

He said the partnership built so far at regional government level needs to be followed by wider cooperation at the level of educational institutions so that its benefits can be felt directly by the public.

“At present, ulama from Indonesia and Malaysia already have student exchanges and teacher exchanges as well,” he explained.

Beyond strengthening international cooperation, the Central Java Provincial Government is also improving the quality of human resources within pesantren through its Santri and Pesantren Carer Scholarship Programme.

In 2026, the programme attracted strong interest, with a total of 941 applicants for bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels, covering both domestic and overseas schemes. Under the overseas scheme, successful candidates will continue their studies in several countries, including Egypt, Yemen, China, and the Philippines.

Taj Yasin said santri interests in fields of study have become increasingly diverse. In addition to Islamic sciences, some are opting for science, technology, and even medicine.

Meanwhile, Muhammad Hadi Al Muhibbin, head of the Al Muhibbin pesantren in Malacca, welcomed the plan to strengthen the cooperation. According to him, relations between Indonesia and Malaysia have been close since the era of the kingdoms and share deep historical roots.

He expressed hope that the partnership built by the two regional governments can serve as an entry point for stronger inter-pesantren cooperation, including student exchanges and the development of Islamic education networks.

“Once relations between governments are well established, it will be easier to carry out student exchanges between Indonesia and Malaysia. Courtesy visits like this are a path towards strengthening the scholarly ties between the two regions,” he concluded.