Islamic Higher Education Institutions Forge Blueprint for Gender-Equitable and Inclusive Ecosystem

Amidst growing public demands for safe spaces within educational institutions, Islamic Religious Higher Education Institutions (PTKI) have taken a strategic step. Through the National Consolidation of Gender and Child Study Centres (PSGA) held at UIN Siber Syekh Nurjati Cirebon from 30 June to 3 July 2026, a blueprint was formulated to strengthen an academic ecosystem that is gender-equitable, inclusive, and free from all forms of violence. This major agenda, which brought together hundreds of academics, researchers, kiai, and nyai from across Indonesia, served not only as a forum for academic exchange through an International Conference but also as a turning point for strengthening macro-religious policy in response to national social dynamics. Discourse on gender justice in Islam is often confronted with cultural bias. Responding to this challenge, the forum presented a comprehensive perspective rooted in the authority of classical texts alongside modern relevance. German academic Katrin Bandel, PhD, initiated the discussion by dissecting the cultural factors and institutional power that have long been the structural roots of persistent sexual violence in formal institutions.