Commission VIII of Parliament Urges Presidential Decree on Islamic Boarding School Directorate to be Signed
Jakarta — The Chair of Commission VIII of Parliament, Marwan Dasopang, has expressed hope that a presidential decree (Perpres) establishing a Directorate General (Ditjen) of Islamic Boarding Schools (Pesantren) within the Ministry of Religion (Kemenag) will be issued promptly.
He conveyed this expectation during a working session of Commission VIII with Minister of Religion (Menag) Nasaruddin Umar at the Parliament Complex in Jakarta on Thursday, 12 March 2026.
“The legislation already exists. Therefore, we hope for certainty on whether the presidential decree concerning the Directorate of Islamic Boarding Schools will be issued or not,” Marwan stated during the meeting, as cited from TVR Parliament’s YouTube broadcast on Friday, 13 March 2026.
Given the scale of Indonesia’s pesantren sector, institutional strengthening is regarded as a strategic step to improve the quality of Islamic boarding school education whilst bolstering the development of national human resources.
Consequently, a legal framework is necessary to ensure a dedicated institutional structure to address pesantren-related matters.
“In the meantime, we hope the Ministry of Religion will begin preparing its organisational structure, including the required human resources,” Marwan said.
During the meeting, Minister Nasaruddin disclosed that President Prabowo Subianto has not yet signed the presidential decree regarding the establishment of the Pesantren Directorate at Kemenag.
“This received presidential approval in principle on 21 October 2025, but the presidential decree has not been signed by the President up to now,” Nasaruddin explained.
Previously, provisions concerning the Pesantren Directorate were established in amendments to Presidential Decree No. 152 of 2024 on Organisation and Work Procedures.
The new work unit will focus on educational aspects, religious strengthening, and economic empowerment of Islamic boarding schools.
“This institutional strengthening is expected to improve the quality of pesantren guidance whilst strengthening their contribution to human resources development and community empowerment,” Nasaruddin stated.