Gontor leader invites global educators to attend GIHES 2026
Pondok Modern Darussalam Gontor (PMDG) leader KH Hasan Abdullah Sahal has invited Islamic education stakeholders, institutional leaders and international academics to attend the Global Islamic Holistic Education Summit (GIHES) 2026 this coming September.
“This grand gathering is being held as part of the centenary commemoration of Pondok Modern Darussalam Gontor,” said KH Hasan Abdullah Sahal in Jakarta on Friday.
According to him, the presence of education figures ranging from university rectors to deans is essential for sitting together in the forum, which will take place on 5-6 September 2026 at Hotel Borobudur, Jakarta.
“We invite and hope for the participation and presence of Islamic education stakeholders, Islamic institutions, rectors, university deans, and practitioners of Islamic institutional education to attend GIHES 2026,” he said.
Kiai Hasan expressed hope that this forum will serve as a means for the global glory of the Muslim ummah, and that the meeting can bring great meaning towards the success of all, fii dunya wal akhiroh, towards the pleasure of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala.
Deputy Speaker of the Indonesian People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR RI), who also serves as Chairman of the Gontor Waqf Board, Hidayat Nur Wahid, outlined the urgency of the topics to be discussed at GIHES 2026. He stressed that one main focus of the discussions is addressing the phenomenon of mental fragility increasingly afflicting the world’s younger generation.
According to him, the rapid advancement of information technology has not been matched by readiness in character and resilient leadership.
This condition has given rise to new challenges because many young people struggle to collaborate, lack a strong work ethic, and are weak in leadership aspects.
“We see that true holistic education exists in pesantren, where students’ mental, moral and soft skills are nurtured 24 hours a day,” explained Hidayat.
He said GIHES 2026 is expected to formulate a holistic education model capable of preparing future generations not only to excel intellectually, but also to possess character resilience in facing changing times.
“We want to emphasise that amid the onslaught of technology, mental toughness and strength of character forged through the pesantren system are the keys to producing future leaders capable of bringing glory to the ummah and the nation,” he said.
Chairman of the GIHES 2026 Committee, KH Hadiyanto Arief, said hundreds of education leaders from across countries, ranging from Kiai heads of pesantren, heads of educational institutions, to policymakers across Asia, will gather at the international forum Global Islamic Holistic Education Summit (GIHES) 2026.
“This high-level forum, part of the 100th Anniversary commemoration of Pondok Modern Darussalam Gontor, is being held exclusively to examine the future of holistic education amid the challenges of the modern era,” he said.
The grand event, a collaboration between Pondok Modern Darussalam Gontor, Universitas Darussalam (UNIDA) Gontor, and the Gontor Alumni Pesantren Forum (FPAG), will also address the phenomenon of mental fragility increasingly afflicting the world’s younger generation.
According to Hadiyanto, the rapid advancement of information technology has not been matched by readiness in character and leadership. He assessed that many young people today struggle to collaborate, lack a strong work ethic, and are weak in leadership aspects.
“We see that true holistic education exists in pesantren, where students’ mental, moral and soft skills are nurtured 24 hours a day,” said Hadiyanto.