No Longer Active, Ndholo Kusumo Islamic Boarding School to Be Permanently Closed

The Head of the Pati Regency Ministry of Religious Affairs Office, Ahmad Syaikhu, has revealed that his office has recommended the permanent closure of Ndholo Kusumo Islamic Boarding School. This decision stems from a case of alleged sexual violence committed by the school’s founder against several female students. Syaikhu explained that on 28 April 2026, the Directorate General of Islamic Education of the Ministry of Religious Affairs issued a recommendation letter. One of the points in the letter was the temporary suspension of new student admissions at Ndholo Kusumo Islamic Boarding School. He added that following the issuance of the recommendation letter, his office, along with the Child-Friendly Boarding School Task Force team from the Ministry of Religious Affairs, conducted field verification and evaluated compliance at the school. “We have decided to revoke its permit,” said Syaikhu in an interview on Tuesday (5/5/2026). Syaikhu stated that the recommendation for the permanent closure of Ndholo Kusumo Islamic Boarding School has been submitted to the Director of Early Childhood Education and Islamic Boarding Schools at the Directorate General of Islamic Education of the Ministry of Religious Affairs. “The proposal for closure, God willing, will not be long. Yesterday, it was already conveyed to the foundation if it is to be closed,” he said. According to Syaikhu, the permit for Ndholo Kusumo Islamic Boarding School was issued on 29 October 2021. However, he suspects that the school was already operating before the Ministry of Religious Affairs issued the permit. “Because there was no permit from the Ministry of Religious Affairs, we also could not conduct supervision,” he stated. He explained that in the permit application documents to the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Ashari bin Karsana is listed as the founder. “So Ashari is indeed the founder. When applying for the permit, it was written that the founder is Ashari. Ashari is not an instructor, not a religious teacher,” said Syaikhu.