Ministry of Religious Affairs to Select Majelis Masyayikh Members to Ensure Pesantren Quality
The Ministry of Religious Affairs (Kemenag) will select members of the Majelis Masyayikh for the 2026-2031 term to bolster the quality assurance system for pesantren education in Indonesia.
The selection will commence through a process conducted by Ahlul Halli Wal Aqdi (AHWA), established via Ministerial Decree (KMA) Number 609 of 2026. AHWA is the team tasked with choosing Majelis Masyayikh members.
The Director General of Islamic Education at Kemenag, Suyitno, stated that forming AHWA ensures the Majelis Masyayikh is filled with figures possessing capacity, integrity, and a strong understanding of the pesantren world.
“The role of AHWA is akin to a selection commission for rectors at PTKIN. In this context, AHWA serves as the selection committee for Majelis Masyayikh,” said Suyitno in Jakarta on Thursday (7/5), quoted from the Kemenag website.
According to him, strengthening pesantren quality requires an assessment and quality assurance system capable of addressing contemporary challenges without abandoning the distinctive character of pesantren as educational institutions rooted in scholarly traditions and morals.
On that occasion, Suyitno also mentioned plans to strengthen the institutional framework of the Directorate of Pesantren by elevating it to an Echelon I unit.
Consequently, in this context, the Majelis Masyayikh is expected to hold an increasingly strategic position in carrying out assessment and quality assurance functions for pesantren education in Indonesia.
“The Majelis Masyayikh must be capable of conducting quality assessments and achieving quality assurance in its assessment processes,” said Suyitno.
Meanwhile, the Secretary of the Directorate General of Islamic Education at Kemenag, Arskal Salim, assessed that the selection process for Majelis Masyayikh members needs to be conducted openly, accountably, and measurably through public scrutiny.
“It is best if this selection process includes public testing. The timeline also needs to be carefully agreed upon to find the ideal timing,” said Arskal.
The Director of Pesantren at Kemenag, Basnang Said, who is also part of AHWA, explained that they have an important mandate in all stages of preparing candidate members for the Majelis Masyayikh.
According to him, AHWA’s duties include determining prospective candidate members for the Majelis Masyayikh, issuing letters of willingness requests, determining candidates based on willingness letters, and submitting candidate names to the Minister of Religious Affairs.
The Majelis Masyayikh is an independent and autonomous body that formulates and establishes the pesantren education quality assurance system. Meanwhile, the Dewan Masyayikh is responsible for implementing the internal quality assurance system within pesantren environments.
The composition of AHWA members who will select candidates for the Majelis Masyayikh 2026-2031 is as follows:
Basnang Said (government representative)
Maskuri (pesantren association representative)
Muhammad Nilzam Yahya (pesantren association representative)
Agus Muhammad (pesantren association representative)
KH. Miftah Faqih (pesantren association representative)
Daden Abdullah Muhamad Syakir (pesantren association representative)
Achmad Roziqi (pesantren association representative)
KH Anang Rikza Masyhadi (pesantren association representative)
Muhammad Ulin Nuha (pesantren association representative).