Jakarta, NU Online
The presence of traditional Islamic boarding schools (pesantren salaf) in Indonesia is part of the contribution of NU, the country's largest Muslim organization, to the Islamic world. The pesantren with their education systems have been developed massively by NU as an ideal education model.<>

Chairman of NU, M. Imam Aziz told NU Online here on Wednesday, saying that "traditional Islamic boarding schools or traditional teaching methods are the teaching of religious subject matters (kitab kuning/yellow books) delivered by the clerics (kiai)."

According to him, the traditional methods are part of Muslims to spread and defend the long-standing values ​​of Islam. In addition, teaching the religious books through pesantren or religious gatherings (majelis taklim) will make the people become closer to the primary sources of Islamic teachings.

Traditional pesantren, he said, had educated people to address anything in scientific perspectives for basing their thinking and behavior on certain books. This fact had continued to emerge before the public knew the scientific attitude introduced by modern education systems, schools and campuses, Imam added.

Imam was of the opinion, traditional pesantren had also introduced people to the culture of writing. In addition to teaching the yellow books, the clerics and their students had been committed to writing the teachings of Islam with local and Arabic languages​​.

NU initiated by traditiona pesantren circles has provided answers in overcoming the challenges facing the world community. Viewed from religious and social perspectives, NU through pesantren has the potential to shape the civilized world, Imam said.

The pesantren usually uses a traditional system of learning. There are various techniques of teaching, but the most commonly used are bandongan and sorogan. Bandongan is a kind of religious instruction conducted by either the kiai or his senior santri. It is like a lecture attended by a large number of santri. In a big pesantren, such as the Pesantren Tebuireng, attendance at bandongan can vary from about 5 to 200 santri. Santri attendance does not depend on either their level of knowledge or their age. The system in this sense is just to provide the santri with regular daily learning, in which the kiai or senior santri read certain works written (in Arabic) by previous ‘ulama, translating it into local languages, and giving some explanation about it.

In a pesantren there should be some bandongan sessions which teach kitab at various levels, from the lowest to the highest. Such sessions reflect the standard of teaching in any single pesantren. As each session just discusses one section of the kitab, learning the entire kitab will take a couple of weeks or even months.

The bandongan system differs from the sorogan system. If in the bandongan, santri knowledge of grammar and Arabic language is assumed, the sessions are held for those who have already attained a basic understanding of the Arabic language and the Qur'an.

In contrast, sorogan is provided either for beginner santri or those who want to have more explanation of the problems discussed in the kitab. The sorogan session is usually attended by only two to five santri, and is provided by any senior santri who has knowledge and ability in certain subjects. This system aims to give special training to santri to assist them to develop certain knowledge and skills.

The pesantren in Indonesia has become a centre of learning and da‘wa. It has played an important role in Indonesia because it is the oldest system of learning and education. Before the modern education system was introduced by the Dutch, the pesantren was the only educational institution available in Indonesia. It should be noted of course that the pesantren in Indonesia still plays its role as an education center.

Editor: Sudarto Murtaufiq
Writer: Alhafiz Kurniawan