Pesantren As Indonesian Traditional Education Institution in Preparing the Alumni to Face The Twenty-First Century Challenges

Abstract

Pesantren is an Indonesian traditional education institution based on Islamic values or often called traditional pesantren. It initially focuses on learning that is only limited to morality and politeness values, which make pesantren considered backward in the academic side and science by Indonesian society. However, at the beginning of the twentieth century, there was a term 'modern' pesantren which combined moral, academic and scientific values as the learning focus, such as communication, collaboration, critical thinking, creativity and innovative skills that make its graduates ready to face twenty-first-century challenges. This paper tries to portray on how pesantren, both traditional and modern pesantren, prepares and navigates their students to master the twenty-first-century skills namely communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creativity to tackle future challenges. This study used qualitative approach by doing Focused Group Discussion to find tge data. The researchers conducted interviews with nine students of Faculty of Islamic Studies, Universitas Islam Indonesia who previously spent their high school years in either traditional or modern pesantren. We are finding that pesantren although the types, traditional and modern will strive the world's dynamic. This research will provide valuable information regarding pesantren responding to modernity as Islamic education is supposed to consider the improvement of the learning process within preparing it is alumni to face the twenty-first-century challenges without forgetting it is identity.