Monitoring the Pesantren Law: Cucun Urges Major Leap in Student Education
The Deputy Speaker of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI), Cucun Ahmad Syamsurijal, has urged a major transformation within the pesantren education system to ensure it can meet modern challenges and produce students who are competitive on a global scale. He shared these views while serving as a speaker during a panel talkshow with the Cipasung Pesantren Alumni Family in Tasikmalaya, West Java, on Saturday.
During the forum, Cucun highlighted two strategic agendas for the future of pesantren: monitoring the implementation of derivative regulations from Law Number 18 of 2019 concerning Pesantren, and accelerating the capacity building of students to face developments in technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI). He noted that the benefits of the Pesantren Law must be tangibly felt through four main pillars: recognition, affirmation, funding facilitation through the Pesantren Endowment Fund, and the strengthening of social and missionary functions.
Cucun emphasised that the drafting of various derivative regulations, whether in the form of ministerial or regional regulations, must not increase the bureaucratic burden on pesantren. “Every law must have real implementation. The fact is, not all alumni or pesantren managers fully understand the scope of the state’s presence through this law. Therefore, we request that the mechanism for derivative regulations is not made complicated, especially regarding graduation recognition and budget access. The state’s presence must simplify, not burden, the administration of pesantren,” he asserted.
Beyond regulatory aspects, the Deputy General Chair of the PKB party also stressed the importance of transforming pesantren education to become more adaptive to global technological advancements. He believes pesantren have a significant opportunity to integrate international education standards without losing their Islamic identity and character. He suggested that international curricula, such as the Cambridge Curriculum or International Baccalaureate, could be adopted and developed in accordance with the unique characteristics of pesantren.
“Pesantren can adopt Cambridge or IB with a distinctive pesantren approach. This transformation is vital. All pesantren must be adaptive to technological acceleration. Even in the current development of AI, contributions are needed from members of the pesantren community who possess strong religious understanding to provide ethical perspectives and moral values,” he said.
The dialogue also marked a new chapter in the leadership of the pesantren alumni organisation. During the event held at the Cipasung Pesantren Dome, attended by thousands of alumni across generations, Cucun was officially inaugurated as the General Chairperson of the Central Leadership Council of the Cipasung Alumni Family (MPP KAC) for the 2026-2031 period. The inauguration was led by the Leader of the Cipasung Pesantren, KH. Ubaedillah, coinciding with the pesantren’s Grand Haul ceremony. Additionally, the Expert Council of the MPP KAC was established to serve as a strategic forum for academic contribution, idea development, and the formulation of evidence-based recommendations from alumni across various disciplines.