The Pondok Education Issues and Challenges From the Lenses of State Religious Department and Council Officials in Malaysia

Abstract

Pondok Institution is one of the earliest institutions concentrating in Islamic education established especially in the Malay Peninsula. The growth of schools and madrasah administered by the government as well as private has reduced the development of the Pondok in the early 90s. However, at present, Pondok studies are burgeoning due to the high demand from the community. Although the Pondok institution can be regarded as pioneers in instituting Islamic education, a survey that has been conducted finds that there is no clear, transparent coordination in the curriculum or studies provided. This paper discusses some aspects of education in Pondok institutions, particularly on the challenges and impediments faced by the Pondok administrators from the point of view of officials in the Islamic Religious Department and the State Islamic Religious Council, who are invited during a roundtable discussion. Group interviews were conducted. The interview data were recorded, transcribed and analyzed thematically using ATLAS ti software. The study reveals that studies concerning Pondok institutions are increasingly gaining acceptance from local communities. In addition, there are three main factors that support the development of the present Pondok education which are the curriculum, finance, and management of the Pondok study itself. By focusing on issues and challenges surrounding Pondok education, this study is a start to a beginning of a worthwhile and meaningful discussion of what it means to develop Pondok institution and teach Islamic education within the Malaysian context.

Exploring Innovations and Challenges in The Study of Hadith in The Digital Era

“…Hadith studies in these institutions employ traditional methods that involve only teachers and students. According to Ishak et al (2019), due to the absence of standardized curricula for Pondok institutions, each institution emphasizes its curriculum, making them different from one another.…”

“…Thus, the existence of social media has provided opportunities and convenience for users to learn and study Hadiths Istianah (2020), concurrently serving as an effective e-dawah medium. In summary, the digitization of Hadith knowledge can be highlighted in formal and non-formal institutions to make this study more beneficial and comprehensive in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Ismail et al, 2019;Ummah, 2019). The ease of digital access to Hadith knowledge needs to be enhanced to an optimum and dynamic level for the benefit of various parties, especially scholars in the field of Hadith (Suryadilaga, 2016).…”