Ramadhan Learning Directed Towards Strengthening Spiritual Development
The Director General’s decree emphasises that learning activities during Ramadhan should not focus solely on academic aspects but should be directed towards strengthening the spiritual and social dimensions of students.
“Madrasahs have an advantage in integrating worship values with the educational process, so that learning during the holy month can be more meaningful and contextual,” said Director General of Islamic Education at the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Amien Suyitno, in Jakarta on Wednesday.
Suyitno stated that the adjustment of learning schedules during Ramadhan should not be interpreted merely as a technical change but needs to be directed towards cultivating faith, discipline, noble character, and concern for others.
Director of KSKK Madrasah, Nyayu Khodijah, assessed Ramadhan as a crucial phase in the character education process. She affirmed that learning activities during this month serve as a space for habituating attitudes, strengthening moral values, and simultaneously building social empathy among students.
This year’s Ramadhan learning theme is focused on strengthening faith, character, and social awareness. The implementation is divided into three stages.
The initial stage consists of Tarhib Ramadhan activities emphasising the strengthening of family relations. During this phase, students are guided to build togetherness within the home environment as part of mental and spiritual preparation for welcoming Ramadhan.
The second stage constitutes the core of learning at madrasahs through intensive face-to-face activities. Materials focus on character building through Quranic recitation improvement (tahsin), understanding the meaning of verses, worship practice and etiquette, as well as self-reflection involving parents in the evaluation process.
The third stage takes place during the Eid al-Fitr holiday, with emphasis on implementing social values such as maintaining family ties (silaturahmi) and community activities.
Madrasahs are also encouraged to organise Ramadhan Pesantren programmes for a minimum of three days. Implementation may be adapted to the conditions of each educational institution, ranging from residential models and semi-full day formats to integrated learning approaches.
The Ministry of Religious Affairs affirmed that Ramadhan learning is not directed towards achieving quantitative targets such as the obligation to complete a full recitation of the Quran. Instead, the preferred approach prioritises the quality of recitation, comprehension, and the internalisation of religious values in daily life.
Learning evaluation is not solely administration-based but conducted through reflection journals, tahsin monitoring cards, and attitudinal development observation sheets, particularly for students at the RA (Islamic kindergarten) and early MI (Islamic primary school) levels.
Additionally, madrasahs are encouraged to develop social activities such as zakat fitrah education and sharing of takjil (breaking-fast refreshments) as part of contextual learning. Collaboration between madrasahs and parents is also considered crucial in ensuring the success of student character formation during Ramadhan.
The Ministry of Religious Affairs emphasised that the success of the Ramadhan learning programme is measured by changes in students’ attitudes and behaviour, not merely by the completeness of activity reports.