Sidkon Djampi Stresses the Importance of Government Support for Pesantren

West Java DPRD member from the PKB faction, Sidkon Djampi, has stressed the importance of government support for pondok pesantren as Islamic educational institutions that play a major role in developing human resources, strengthening Islamic propagation, and empowering the community. This support, Sidkon continued, is partly realised through the implementation of Regional Regulation (Perda) Number 1 of 2021 concerning the Facilitation of Pesantren Operations. Sidkon stated that the Pesantren Perda was created as a form of the regional government’s commitment to providing support to pesantren, which have long been an important part of the nation’s journey. “Pesantren existed long before Indonesia’s independence. Their role is not only as religious educational institutions but also as centres for dakwah, moral development, and community empowerment. Therefore, the state must be present through policies that provide facilitation to pesantren,” Sidkon told Republika on Saturday (4/7/2026). According to Sidkon, West Java is the province with the largest number of pondok pesantren in Indonesia. There are currently more than 11,000 pesantren with around one million resident santri spread across various regions. This situation makes the implementation of the Pesantren Perda a strategic step in strengthening the contribution of pesantren to regional development. He explained that Perda Number 1 of 2021 is the first provincial-level regulation in Indonesia to refer to Law Number 18 of 2019 on Pesantren. The regulation focuses on facilitating pesantren operations, strengthening dakwah, and community empowerment, while curriculum aspects remain the authority of the central government through the Ministry of Religious Affairs. Nevertheless, Sidkon believes the implementation of the regulation still needs continuous strengthening. One concern for the DPRD is the temporary suspension of pesantren grant distribution by the West Java Provincial Government for evaluation purposes. He said evaluation is necessary to ensure aid is well-targeted. However, the process should not take too long as it will impact pesantren, especially those that are still developing and have limited facilities and infrastructure. “If there are indeed cases where aid has not been well-targeted, evaluate and fix the mechanism. Do not let the assistance be suspended for too long. Many small pesantren still need support to improve their dormitories, classrooms, or other facilities,” he said. Sidkon considers pesantren to be strategic partners of the government in building the quality of the younger generation. Therefore, budgetary support through various facilitation programmes must continue to be provided so that pesantren can improve the quality of education while expanding their role in community empowerment. Amid regional fiscal constraints, he appreciated many pesantren in West Java that continue to develop self-reliance. A number of pesantren now have media centres, are developing agribusiness sectors, and have even established formal educational institutions and universities as part of institutional strengthening. “Pesantren have demonstrated their ability to adapt to the times without abandoning their identity as centres of Islamic education, dakwah, and community empowerment,” he said. In addition to overseeing the implementation of the Pesantren Perda, the West Java DPRD is also encouraging district and city governments to immediately adopt similar regulations so that support for pesantren is more optimal at the local level. Several regions, such as Tasikmalaya, Indramayu, and Cirebon, have already enacted their own perda on pesantren.