Pesantren education system offers holistic solutions, Gontor leaders state

At the Global International Holistic Education Summit in Jakarta, leaders from Darussalam Gontor Islamic Institute highlighted the pesantren system as a solution to the global crisis in holistic education. KH Hamid Fahmy Zarkasyi, Rector of UNIDA Gontor, argued that Western education models often separate science from religious values, leading to deficits in character and soft skills. He noted that the pesantren model uniquely integrates formal, non-formal, and informal curricula within a 24-hour boarding ecosystem.

KH Akrim Mariyat, a leader at Pondok Modern Darussalam Gontor (PMDG), added that the concept of holistic education is not new to the pesantren, which has practiced the integration of religious and general sciences, character building, and social skills for decades. Established in 1926, PMDG emphasizes that while its methods are modern, it maintains its identity as a traditional Indonesian institution focused on meeting community needs through life skills and spiritual foundations.