Revitalizing pesantren's role in era of globalized education
Revitalizing pesantren's role in era of globalized education
M. Yunus, Contributor, Yogyakarta
Reproduksi Ulama di Era Global: Resistensi Tradisional Islam
(Reproducing ulema in he global era; Traditional resistance of
Islam)
Dr. H. Muhtarom H.M.
Pustaka Pelajar, Yogyakarta, July 2005
xvi + 318 pp
Post-modernism has marked an era of the reawakening of capitalist
identity. From a global economic viewpoint, post-modernists are
characterized as "seeking instant results in whatever you have".
The vitality of post-modernists will be more apparent as we take
a look at the domain of neo-liberalists, with their typical
tendency toward instrumental and capitalist thought.
Meanwhile, neo-liberalists' core principle is "liberalizing
trade and finance, ending inflation, and leaving prices to the
market".
Post-modernists and neo-liberalists are not only engaged in
the economy, and their influence has had increasing hegemony over
politics, law, culture and education. Particularly in the last
field, the paradigm, system and operational mechanism inculcated
by post-modernists and neo-liberalists seem so fixed, instead of
developing the traditional system so far maintained by Islamic
boarding schools (pesantren), so that many circles in
contemporary society consider it unworthy.
These two groups of thinkers no longer care whether or not the
paradigm and system applied to education remain capable of
creating cadres and future generations with good morals, but
rather, their concern is whether or not the paradigm and system
can follow current developments.
To most members of contemporary or post-modernist society, the
pattern and system of education developed by pesantren are
considered too old-fashioned, conservative and uncooperative as
regards the present era and environment.
Reproduksi Ulama di Era Global; Resistensi Tradisional Islam
(Reproducing ulema in he global era; Traditional resistance of
Islam) appears to respond to the misinformation of contemporary
society.
Its author, Dr. H. Muhtarom H.M., elaborates systematically on
those factors that have led to the birth of contemporary thought
about the instant, yet instrumental, system and paradigm of
education. Then he deals thoroughly with the urgent role of
pesantren-style education in facing today's global era, in which
ulema -- often called the heirs of prophets -- as leaders of such
traditional schools, provide the backbone in creating future
generations that are not only well versed in religious science
and management, but are also capable of warding off the snares of
globalization.
In general, the globalized and instant system of education in
Indonesia started when the government joined the General
Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) meeting on April 15, 1994,
in Marrakesh, Morocco, which established the World Trade
Organization (WTO) on Jan. 1, 1995, as initiated by a number of
capitalist countries through global corporate sponsorship. This
globalization of education was programmed along with other areas
like information and communication, economy, law, politics,
culture and religion.
In view of the adverse implication that will arise from the
capitalist version of globalized education, intellectuals and
religious figures have been verifying the significance of this
system. In this process, the position of ulema and traditional
pesantren concerned with Islamic sciences automatically become
very important.
Pesantren should be acknowledged as part of the various forums
of scientific transformation that are not to be ignored, though
today, we inevitably have to accept the demands of instrumental
nature in all sectors, including educational development.
Even in medicine, for instance, the study of classical books
dealing with fiqih, or religious law, is relevant to of biology,
which is a prerequisite to gain entry into the medical sciences.
The urgency of pesantren-style education is also reflected in
the form of communication constructed on an egalitarian basis. In
socio-anthropological terms, coexistence without regard to social
classes, ethnic groups, races and nationalities is a doctrine
strongly fostered in pesantren communities. This is unlike the
society projected by neo-liberalists, in which men are dragged
into the vicious circle of social stratification based on
capital.
A number of pesantren thinkers have further explored the
doctrine of "being together in joy and sorrow".
Apart from Reproduksi Ulama di Era Global, Fiqih Sosial
(Religious law for social relations) by Sahal Mahfudh is another
work that analyzes the social system and paradigm more oriented
toward religion, for which pesantren communities have strived.
Another side to the pesantren educational system and related
communities worthy of praise is their flexible attitude toward
diverse thinking, by not only limiting themselves to Eastern
ideas, but also adopting Western concepts. This flexibility makes
them unique and open, so it is a mistake to assume pesantren are
isolated enclaves that do not -- or are prohibited from --
address the changes of the times.
Conversely, these communities better realize contemporary
changes, which enabled them to make a distinction between one
period and another.
This typical feature has prompted domestic and foreign
intellectuals to study and research the role of ulema as well as
pesantren in Indonesia, such as Nurcholish Majid, former
president Abdurrahman Wahid, Dawam Raharjo, Zamakhzyari Dhofier,
Martin Van Bruinessen and Breg Barton.
Reproduksi Ulama di Era Global will therefore expand the
bibliography of references that can be used to appraise pesantren
affairs and the role of ulema in the era of globalization.