MPR Speaker Muzani Urges Islamic Boarding School Students to Broaden Their Studies Beyond the Pesantren

MPR Speaker Ahmad Muzani attended a communal iftar gathering at the Asshiddiqiyah Islamic Boarding School. Muzani urged the students (santri) to make the most of learning opportunities in the digital era.

“Students must use this opportunity [the digital era] well, because in spirit they truly have the chance to learn,” Muzani said at the Asshiddiqiyah Islamic Boarding School in West Jakarta on Sunday (22/2/2026).

Muzani noted that santri could study subjects beyond religion, and encouraged them to broaden their learning outside the pesantren.

“Studying at a pesantren is essentially about learning the fundamentals. If one wants to go deeper, one must move beyond the pesantren to pursue more advanced studies elsewhere,” he said.

Muzani gave the example of students continuing their education at universities or other Islamic boarding schools to deepen their knowledge. He added that this need not be limited to domestic institutions, as students could also pursue studies abroad.

“What the ustaz, teachers, kiai, and nyai teach at the pesantren is essentially a methodology for understanding a field of knowledge, whether it be religious or secular,” he said.

“But to understand or delve deeper into further fields of study, one must learn elsewhere using the methodology already imparted by one’s kiai, nyai, teachers, and lecturers — that is roughly the idea,” he added.