Ministry of Religious Affairs and NTB Provincial Government to Form Task Force to Prevent Violence in Islamic Boarding Schools
The Regional Office of the Ministry of Religious Affairs (Kanwil Kemenag) of West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) is taking proactive steps to address violence within Islamic boarding schools (pesantren). This follows a recent case involving the alleged burning of three students by a peer at a boarding school in Central Lombok, which is currently under police investigation.
The Head of the NTB Ministry of Religious Affairs, Zamroni Aziz, announced plans to convene all members of the boarding school forum, law enforcement, and relevant agencies to formulate the establishment of a task force dedicated to handling violence in pesantren environments. This cross-sectoral coordination meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, 10 June 2026, and will involve the NTB Regional Police, the Mataram Child Protection Agency (LPA), the NTB Provincial Government, various local departments, and several non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
‘These boarding schools belong to all of us. On Wednesday, we will coordinate with the LPA, the Department of Education, the Department of Social Affairs, the Department of Health, hospitals, and the NTB Regional Police,’ Zamroni told reporters on Monday afternoon.
Zamroni explained that boarding school forums from 10 regencies and cities across NTB will be fully involved in drafting the task force’s operational points. Once the draft is finalised and socialised, the NTB Ministry of Religious Affairs will submit a formal decree (SK) to the Governor of NTB, Lalu Muhamad Iqbal, for approval.
Regarding regulations, Zamroni noted that while the national Ministry of Religious Affairs is responsible for issuing permits for establishing pesantren, the supervision of daily activities is a collective responsibility, extending down to the village level. He emphasised that local village governments must play a role in oversight, as they are involved in the initial recommendation process for school establishment.
Zamroni expressed hope that the task force would tighten supervision, especially as central government regulations are increasingly strengthening student protections. He noted that new organisational structures, including a dedicated directorate for student protection, are being implemented at the national level.
‘There is absolutely no room for individuals to commit sexual harassment or violence within Islamic boarding schools,’ Zamroni asserted.
Meanwhile, the Head of the NTB Social Affairs, Women’s Empowerment, and Child Protection Department (Dinsos P3A), Ahmad Masyhuri, stated that the task force is intended to ensure a comprehensive and integrated approach to handling such cases. As a concrete step, the NTB Provincial Government plans to provide a dedicated hotline in all schools and madrasahs to allow victims or witnesses to report violence immediately.
Furthermore, the NTB Provincial Government is proposing a revision to Provincial Regulation (Perda) Number 8 of 2015 concerning the Handling and Protection of Violence Victims. The revision aims to address existing legal gaps and will be proposed to the NTB Regional Legislative Council (DPRD) shortly.