Shaping Santri to be Proficient in Arabic and English: Three Distinctive Gontor Methods
Pondok Modern Darussalam Gontor makes Arabic and English its official languages, which students are required to use in daily life. This is rooted in the institution’s maxim: ‘Language is the crown of the pondok.’ Language serves as an identity, a source of pride, and a distinguishing feature that sets Gontor apart from other Islamic educational institutions. Just as a crown adorns and signifies a person’s honour, language symbolises the intellectual progress, discipline, and civilisation of the santri.
To ensure students wear this crown worthily, they are trained, taught, and educated to use two official languages in their daily speech: Arabic and English. There are three key language training methods at Gontor: Ilqo al-Mufrodat, al-Muhadtsah, and disciplined daily practice.
Ilqo al-Mufrodat is a vocabulary-building method conducted after the dawn prayer. It involves the provision of Arabic and English vocabulary, correct pronunciation drills, and the recording of new words in a special language notebook. Students first listen to a dormitory supervisor recite a phrase, such as ‘Isma‘u jayyidan wa an tahtammu ila al-amam. Qalamun, hadza qalamun’ (‘Listen carefully and pay attention to the front. A pen, this is a pen’), before repeating it in unison. This method ensures students not only memorise new words but also master their proper pronunciation.
Al-Muhadtsah, or conversation practice, focuses on speaking skills and is held after dawn prayers on Tuesdays and Fridays. Students pair up to engage in direct dialogue using Arabic and English, applying the vocabulary and grammatical rules they have learned in real-life exchanges. For instance, one student might greet another with ‘Assalamualaikum yaa Isa? Kayfa haalukaa? Sobahul khoir?’ and receive the reply, ‘Waalaikumussalam yaa Ahmad. Alhamdulillah inni bi khoirin. Sobahunnur.’
Discipline in daily language use is enforced throughout the dormitories, classrooms, canteen, and all areas of the pondok. The institution operates under the principle that its progress is built upon discipline. A dedicated Language Department (Qismul Lughoh) oversees this, monitoring students wherever they are. Those caught speaking their regional language or using foul language face punishments, typically involving writing essays in Arabic and English or memorising specific vocabulary. More severe violations, such as uttering forbidden words, can result in harsher penalties like having one’s head shaved. Through this strict enforcement, students are compelled to use Arabic and English daily, eventually becoming accustomed to speaking them fluently, a skill that proves useful in their future lives.