Ministry of Religious Affairs to Revoke Licence of Ndolo Kusumo Islamic Boarding School in Pati

The Ministry of Religious Affairs (Kemenag) will revoke the establishment permit for Pondok Pesantren Ndolo Kusumo in Pati Regency. Basnang Said, Director of Pesantren at Kemenag, stated that the revocation will proceed after receiving recommendations from the Pati Regency Government.

“After going through the procedures, there will be a recommendation from the Pati Regency Government. It will then be followed up with the revocation of this pesantren’s permit,” he said when contacted on Monday, 4 May 2026.

Basnang explained that the reason for the revocation is due to widespread public objections. The existence of the pesantren also does not align with the spirit of establishing pesantrens, which emphasises Indonesian values and exemplary conduct.

“The caregiver can no longer be positioned as a role model, so that alone is sufficient reason for revoking the permit,” he said.

The revocation is one of three recommendations submitted by Basnang to the Central Java Regional Office (Kanwil) of Kemenag. Basnang also requested that the Kanwil halt temporary admissions of new students at the pondok pesantren.

Basnang further requested that the Kanwil dismiss teachers involved in the sexual violence case.

For the students, Basnang said that the Ministry of Religious Affairs has coordinated with the Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection Agency to restore the children’s psychology.

“The Ministry of Religious Affairs does not want these children to drop out of school, so for the children, we will find solutions to continue their studies at nearby pesantrens,” he said.

Allegations of sexual violence implicating a caregiver at the pondok pesantren in Pati Regency previously went viral on social media after the Pati Police Resort elevated the case to the investigation stage. The number of victims is reported to reach 30-50 people. The incidents occurred from 2024 to 2026.

Selly Andriany Gantina, a member of Commission VIII of the House of Representatives (DPR), which oversees pesantren matters, revealed that the majority of victims are orphans. According to her, the victims had reported to the police since 2024, but the reports were only followed up in the last few days.

“With 50 female student victims dominated by orphans, this indicates systematic failures in child protection within religious education environments,” she said, as quoted by Antara on Sunday, 3 May 2026.