Deputy Minister of Religious Affairs: Presidential Regulation on Pesantren Directorate Already Signed

Deputy Minister of Religious Affairs Romo Muhammad Syafi’i stated that the presidential regulation on the establishment of the Directorate General of Pesantren within the Ministry of Religious Affairs has already been signed. Syafi’i remarked that the presence of the Directorate General of Pesantren is an inevitability. This is because the population of pesantren and santri in Indonesia is vast, and the kiai play a strategic role for the nation.

“The presidential regulation on the Directorate General of Pesantren has been signed. It is currently in the review stage at the General Secretariat for immediate promulgation in the State Gazette,” said Syafi’i in Jakarta, quoted from a written statement on the official Ministry of Religious Affairs website, on Friday, 3 April 2026.

In the organisational plan currently being refined, the Directorate General of Pesantren is planned to have five directorates. These are the Directorate of Muadalah Education, Formal Diniyah, and Yellow Book Studies; the Directorate of Ma’had Aly Education; the Directorate of Takmiliyah Diniyah Education and Al-Quran Education; the Directorate of Pesantren Empowerment; and the Directorate of Pesantren Da’wah Development.

According to Syafi’i, each directorate and sub-directorate is formed with specific objectives and will complement one another. “This structure is designed in such a way that the work of the Directorate General of Pesantren can be maximal. If one of these elements is missing, the organisation’s movement will be lame in serving the very complex needs of pesantren,” he said.

In addition to the structure, Syafi’i also highlighted the human resources aspect that will fill positions in the new unit. He urged that the personnel recruitment process be prepared immediately. This is so that the operations of the Directorate General of Pesantren can run directly without technical obstacles.

Syafi’i also requested that important positions be held by figures with empirical experience in the pesantren world. “For matters of curriculum and dormitory upbringing, they must be filled by people who truly understand the ‘spirit’ of pesantren. Meanwhile, for fields like empowerment, we can involve competent experts in their fields,” he said.