Islamic boarding schools are religious institutions that provide education and teaching and develop and spread Islam. A boarding school is a traditional Islamic educational hostel where students live together and study under the guidance of a teacher known as a Kyai.
Islamic boarding schools are claimed as educational institutions capable of carrying out their role in guarding Islamic religious education. In it, the students are educated to be prepared to receive suitable spiritual lessons and ready to become agents of the religious angle in the future in a society that will undoubtedly always experience dynamics.
The experience of learning in Islamic boarding schools is not limited by age and time because Islamic boarding school education aims to deepen the knowledge of the Islamic religion. So, this institution does not limit the number of Santri, material limitations, or age diversity that is considered sufficient and ready to learn and be trained by practicing spiritual activities.
As an educational institution, Islamic boarding schools have several learning methods, including the slogan, wetonan, halaqah, tahfidz methods, muazakaroh/bathsul masa’il methods. The boarding school students and the classed students study at the same place and simultaneously. Thus, there are two types of Islamic boarding schools, namely, Salafiyah and Khalafiyah.
Islamic boarding schools have characteristics that are traditionally formed and have strong relationships within the Islamic boarding school itself. In another explanation, it is also explained about the features of Islamic boarding schools and the education there. The characteristics are as follows:
Firstly, there is a close relationship between the Santri and the Kyai. The condition of intimacy can be seen when the Kyai and students carry out routine recitations at the pesantren daily. Of course, what is conveyed there is not always religious learning but interspersed with jokes so that the students do not get bored.
Secondly, there is the obedience of the center to the Kyai. The religious sciences have been taught in the Islamic boarding school, one of that is an attitude to the teacher. The students will carry out the orders of the Kyai. They never refuse the kyai’s demands because they hope for blessings by obeying them.
Thirdly, Independence is felt in the Islamic boarding school. They have entered the Islamic boarding school environment. They naturally have to be able to be independent because their families do not accompany them, and they live in the Islamic boarding school to study religion and live independently with their fellow students.
Fourthly, the spirit of mutual help and an atmosphere of brotherhood characterized the association of the Islamic boarding school. They live together in a boarding school environment and study together with many friends, of course, will be a sense of mutual help among fellow Santri. Boarding schools are like one house, mutually reinforcing one another.
Lastly, discipline is highly recommended. The activities carried out in Islamic boarding schools are very busy, from waking up to praying in congregation, reciting the Al-Quran together and participating in other activities. Therefore, discipline must be to manage their time with these hectic activities.
So, in my opinion, studying in Islamic boarding schools is effective and can be another alternative for parents in choosing education in Islamic boarding schools. The education carried out in Islamic boarding schools is practical about the objectives of establishing Islamic boarding schools and their graduates who have spiritual depth so that they can give the right direction to society in the future.
Author : Irma Dewi
