Facing Modern Challenges: Gontor Senior Students Equipped with Legal Knowledge and Social Media Wisdom

Jakarta, VIVA – Senior students (Years 5 and 6) of Pondok Modern Darussalam Gontor (PMDG) Campus 5 Darul Qiyam, Magelang, held an interactive discussion titled ‘Characterful and Broad-Minded Students’. The event was initiated as a strategic step to equip senior students, who will soon enter society, with an understanding of cyber law and public communication.

The discussion featured two distinguished Gontor alumni as keynote speakers: Ustadz Muhammad Shobirin, a national legal expert and advocate, and Ustadz Hafyz Marshal, a specialist in media communication and public relations.

Ustadz Muhammad Shobirin emphasised the importance of legal literacy within Islamic educational environments. He noted that understanding current regulations has become a primary necessity for the pesantren (Islamic boarding school) sector. “Students and educational institution managers need to thoroughly understand the laws governing pesantren. This is crucial for mitigation and the prevention of various potential legal issues that may arise in the future,” Shobirin stated on Sunday, 7 June 2026.

Meanwhile, Ustadz Hafyz Marshal highlighted the rapid flow of information in the digital era. He warned that social media is a double-edged sword that must be mastered with full responsibility. “Students must be aware of the massive impact of social media. Upon graduating from the pesantren, they must be able to use social media wisely and ethically, turning it into a positive tool for dawah (proselytising), rather than the opposite,” Hafyz explained.

Responding to the discussion, Ustadz Imam Haryadi, Deputy Leader of PMDG Darul Qiyam Magelang, expressed high appreciation for the event. He asserted that strengthening legal and media literacy is an essential modern provision for school alumni. “Students must not only be equipped with religious knowledge but must also be literate in law and media. This way, when they become alumni and enter society, they can utilise legal and media instruments appropriately, uprightly, and for the benefit of the community,” said the Deputy Leader.

Through this discussion, PMDG Darul Qiyam Magelang hopes to produce community leaders who are not only rooted in strong pesantren values and character but are also adaptive and responsive to global dynamics.