Gontor's Centennial: GIHES 2026 to Offer Pesantren System as Solution to Global Education Crisis
Marking one century of contribution to the world of education, Pondok Modern Darussalam Gontor, alongside the University of Darussalam (UNIDA) Gontor and the Gontor Alumni Pesantren Forum (FPAG), will organise an international event titled the Global Islamic Holistic Education Summit (GIHES). The event is scheduled to take place on 5–6 September 2026 in Jakarta.
GIHES is being held as a tangible response to the global challenges facing modern education. Currently, rapid developments in the modern era have left a significant gap in the mental readiness of the younger generation across various parts of the world, including developed nations such as the United as States.
The Rector of UNIDA Gontor, Prof. Dr. KH. Hamid Fahmi Zarkasyi, M.A.Ed., M.Phil., highlighted a crucial phenomenon where many of today’s generation are mentally unprepared to participate in society.
“Many of today’s youth are mentally fragile. They struggle to collaborate, lack a strong work ethic, are weak in leadership aspects, and have minimal service orientation,” stated Prof. Hamid Fahmi Zarkasy in his statement today.
Based on in-depth studies, Western nations have long proposed the concept of holistic education—an educational system that involves all aspects of a student’s potential, skills, and way of thinking. However, it is assessed that this concept has never been fully successfully implemented by any educational institution in the West.
According to Prof. Hamid, the key to successful holistic education has long existed and been practised within the pesantren (Islamic boarding schools) in Indonesia. He believes that true holistic education can only be found in the pesantren, as students are educated 24 hours a day in terms of their mental, moral, soft skills, leadership, and various other abilities. This modern-system holistic education found in pesantren serves as an extraordinary educational alternative ready to be offered globally.
Utilising the momentum of Gontor’s 100th anniversary, GIHES is presented with the primary objective of exploring, formulating, and articulating the holistic aspects present in Islamic education, particularly modern pesantren, so that they may be adopted more widely on an international level.
The Leader of Pondok Modern Darussalam Gontor, KH. Hasan Abdullah Sahal, issued a special call and invited all important elements of Islamic education to unite their vision in this international forum.
“I respectfully invite all leaders of pesantren, Islamic education policymakers, Islamic institutions, and rectors of Islamic universities to attend and participate actively in the Global Islamic Holistic Education Summit in Jakarta,” said KH. Hasan Abdullah Sahal.
This grand meeting is expected to become a significant turning point for the Islamic world to offer an educational model that is not only oriented towards academic intelligence but also towards character maturity, spirituality, and mental resilience.