Ministry of Religious Affairs Establishes 'Selection Commission' for Majelis Masyayikh to Formulate Pesantren Quality Assurance System
The Ministry of Religious Affairs (Kemenag) has officially formed the membership structure of Ahlul Halli Wal Aqdi (AHWA) as an initial step to prepare the selection process for Majelis Masyayikh members for the 2026-2031 term. This formation was established through Ministerial Decree (KMA) No. 609 of 2026.
Majelis Masyayikh itself is an independent institution formed in accordance with the Majelis Masyayikh mandate under Law No. 18 of 2019 on Pesantren. This institution functions to formulate the quality assurance system for pesantren education in Indonesia.
Director General of Islamic Education at Kemenag, Amien Suyitno, emphasised that AHWA holds a strategic position in the candidate screening process for Majelis Masyayikh members. According to him, AHWA’s role is similar to a selection commission in the election of rectors at state Islamic higher education institutions.
“The task of AHWA is akin to the selection commission for rectors at PTKIN. In this context, AHWA serves as the selection committee for Majelis Masyayikh,” said Suyitno in a press statement in Jakarta on Friday (8/5/2026).
He requested that the experience of Majelis Masyayikh over the past four years be used as material for evaluation so that in the future, the institution becomes stronger and more relevant to the continuously evolving dynamics of the pesantren world. “Use the journey of Majelis Masyayikh from the past four years as a lesson learned so that we can obtain ideal members for Majelis Masyayikh,” he said.
Suyitno also mentioned plans to strengthen the Pesantren Directorate into an echelon I unit. Therefore, he hopes that Majelis Masyayikh can perform more robustly in carrying out its functions of quality assessment and quality assurance in pesantren education. “Majelis Masyayikh must be capable of conducting quality assessment and achieving quality assurance in its assessment process,” he stated.