PAN Chairman Opens PANdai 2026, National Islamic Quiz Competition
The Chairman of the National Mandate Party (PAN), Zulkifli Hasan (Zulhas), officially opened the PANdai 2026 Islamic Quiz Competition at the Ballroom of PAN’s Central Executive Board (DPP) office in Jakarta on Thursday, 12 March, marking the beginning of a national-level competition for students from across Indonesia.
The competition is participated in by representatives from 32 regions throughout Indonesia, all of which have undergone a rigorous selection process. PANdai 2026 will be held in three main stages: preliminary round, semi-finals, and final round.
Zulhas stated that this initiative is part of the party’s commitment to strengthening character and Islamic understanding among young people. He emphasised the importance of continuous education to build a better future for Indonesia through the active role of youth.
“PAN continues to provide education in various fields, especially to build the character of society, including young people, because our youth are Indonesia’s future,” he said in a written statement on Thursday, 12 March.
The primary focus of the activity is to instil strong moral values among participants. The PANdai programme is run collaboratively with regional leadership to train intellectual abilities whilst shaping the character of students.
Through this event, PAN seeks to encourage the new generation to return to spiritual values and noble ethics.
“We present PANdai to train and develop our students, not only from the skills perspective, but also from Islamic character and moral education. Therefore, PAN wants to invite young people to return to spiritual values, Indonesian identity, and good character,” he said.
After delivering his remarks, Zulhas symbolically opened the series of competition events before invited guests and participants. The opening was met with enthusiasm by all team representatives present at the central venue.
“Best of luck to all participants. In the name of Allah the Merciful, PANdai 2026 is officially open,” he said as he formally launched the competition.
This statement also marked the beginning of healthy competition between teams from various provinces in Indonesia.
On the other hand, PANdai 2026 Committee Chairman Edison Sitorus explained that this activity serves as a forum to enhance abilities and strengthen brotherhood. He noted that the programme is a concrete step in producing superior human resources equitably.
“PANdai 2026 is part of PAN’s commitment to help build superior human resources,” he said.
This statement reaffirmed the organisation’s position in supporting non-formal education sectors with strong religious content.
The committee has prepared significant appreciation for winners in the form of development funds totalling hundreds of millions of rupiah. The first-place winner will take home 40 million rupiah, whilst the second and third place winners will each receive 30 million and 25 million rupiah respectively.
Consolation prize winners one through three will each receive 10 million rupiah as recognition of their achievements. All winning participants and their mentors will also receive tablets to support their learning activities at school.
For information, the event was also attended by PAN’s Secretary-General, Eko Hendro Purnomo, and several members of the House of Representatives from PAN’s faction. The presence of these figures provided significant moral support to the participants who will compete over two days.
Some legislative figures in attendance included Okta Kumala Dewi, Pasha Ungu, Muhammad Syauqie, Slamet Ariyadi, Sarifuddin Sudding, and Hoerudin Amin. The presence of other PAN central leadership figures added to the formal yet warm atmosphere at the party’s central office.
A total of 300 teams from various schools in Indonesia initially participated in the early selection stage at their respective regional levels. The selection carried out by provincial-level leadership aimed to identify the best talents to compete at the national level.
From these hundreds of participants, 32 of the best teams were selected to continue their efforts in the main round in Jakarta. The competition is scheduled to run intensively over two full days, from 12 to 13 March 2026.