UIN Malang's Ma'had Prepares Pioneers to Answer Challenges in the Digitalisation Era

The State Islamic University (UIN) Maulana Malik Ibrahim Malang continues to strengthen its position as a pioneer of higher education institutions. It is doing this by integrating the pesantren system with the university, following current digital trends through spiritual reinforcement for its graduates. Through Ma’had Al-Jamiah Sunan Ampel al-Ali (MSAA), it is hoped that students’ EQ, IQ, and SQ can be shaped regardless of the study programme they are pursuing. The expectation is that the knowledge taught in the pesantren during the first year of university will make students more religious and less susceptible to negative activities, as well as violations of law and religious norms. The Head of the Ma’had Al-Jamiah Centre at UIN Malang, Dr Ahmad Izzudin, M.HI., explained that this integrative idea was born to answer the challenges of effective religious education in the modern era. The system, pioneered in 2000, has now been adopted by various State Islamic Religious Higher Education Institutions (PTKIN) and madrasas in Indonesia. ‘UIN Malang has the idea to continue innovating in merging these two education systems within one institution. At Ma’had, they are in their natural habitat, thus they have a strong basic foundation for living in a campus and urban environment,’ said Ahmad Izzudin. The learning system at Ma’had MSAA is based on a classification of students’ initial abilities. Ahmad Izzudin explained that students who already have experience in pesantren will be directed to advanced-level classes such as tafsir and writing. Conversely, students who cannot yet read the Al-Quran will be guided from the basic level without affecting their formal course load. This inclusive policy also applies automatically to foreign students and non-Muslim students, for whom the learning process is adjusted through cooperation with relevant religious institutions. This mandatory mahad or dormitory programme will also be implemented comprehensively at the new UIN Malang Campus 3. Through this system, students are automatically registered as mahasantri from the very start of their studies.