ISLAMIC EDUCATION IN INDONESIA

 

INTRODUCTION

Indonesia is a democratic country where the majority of the population embraces Islam. According to Snouck Hourgronje, Islam entered Indonesia in the middle of the 13th century AD brought by traders from Gujarat India. The spread of Islam in Indonesia was carried out through trade, education, da'wah, marriage, and so on. Therefore, the development of Islamic education began with the arrival of Islam in the archipelago.

It was felt that the development of Islam in Indonesia was very rapid with its complex teachings and ways of spreading it to the needs of society at that time, namely trade because these Arab and Indian traders couldn't trade without Islamic principles. Therefore, Islamic education develops following the development of Islam itself. They make surau, mosque, and break as a place of study. His teaching method also uses simple methods, such as lecture and halaqah methods. The educational institutions also developed along with the development of Islamic teachings in the archipelago, so there were Islamic boarding schools, madrasas, and Islamic universities.

Even though it has developed rapidly, Islamic education in Indonesia also has its challenges in its development. From the beginning of its entry, development, and existence in the field of science. Therefore, in this paper, we as the authors of the paper will present matters relating to the aspects mentioned above. The purpose of this paper is to find out the early history of the development of Islamic education in Indonesia, to understand the development of Islamic education in Indonesia, and to find out the problems of Islamic education in Indonesia.

DISCUSSION

 

A. EARLY HISTORY OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF ISLAMIC EDUCATION IN INDONESIA

It is not surprising that Islamic education in the archipelago is considered quite rapid because basically, Islamic education develops along with the entry and development of Islamic teachings in Indonesia. Prof. Dr. Musyarifah Sunanto quoted in her book entitled History of Islamic Civilization, writes that there are three opinions about the arrival of Islam in Indonesia, one of which is:

1.      The first opinion was pioneered by Dutch orientalist scholars, including Snouck Hurgronje who argued that Islam came to Indonesia in the 13th century AD from Gujarat (not directly from Arabia) with evidence of the discovery of the tomb of the first Muslim sultan Malik as-Sholeh, the first king of the Samudra Pasai empire who is said to have come from Gujarat.

2.      The second opinion was put forward by Muslim scholars, including Prof. Hamka, who held a "Seminar on the History of the Entry of Islam into Indonesia" in Medan in 1963. Hamka and his friends argued that Islam had come to Indonesia in the first century of Hijriyah (+_ 7th to 8th century AD) directly from Arabic with evidence of a route Busy and international shipping has been started long before the 13th century through the Malacca Strait which connected the Tang Dynasty in China (East Asia), Srivijaya in Southeast Asia and the Umayyads in West Asia.

3.      Contemporary Muslim scholars such as Taufik Abdullah compromise these two views. According to him, it is true that Islam has come to Indonesia since the 7th or 8th century AD, but it was only recently embraced by Eastern traders in ports. Then Islam entered[1] on a large scale and had political power in the 13th century with the establishment of the Samudra Pasai empire. This happened due to the backflow of the destruction of the Abbasid capital Baghdad by Hulagu. The destruction of Baghdad caused Muslim traders to divert their trading activities toward South Asia, East Asia, and Southeast Asia.[2] 

As for further developments, Islam developed in a bigger way in the 12th century AD brought by Islamic missionaries, who were aside[3] spread Islam, they are also merchants. As for this period, Islam was developed by merchants from Gujarat as well as the natives themselves.

From the several opinions above, the path of spreading Islam in Indonesia was born. According to Uka Tjandrasamita, the routes used to spread Islam in Indonesia include:

1.      Trade Routes

From Tome Pires' quote about the entry of Islam through the trade route, Uka Tjandrasasmita said that many Muslim traders lived on the coast of Java, where at that time there were still many non-believers. They managed to build mosques. In several places, many Javanese rulers who served as regents of Majapahit converted to Islam, not because of political influence but because of the influence of trade relations with Muslim merchants. So, in the next stage of development, they then took over trade and power in the places where they lived.

2.      Marriage Path

From an economic point of view, the Muslim merchants have a better social status than most of the natives, so the natives, especially the princesses of nobles or kings are attracted to become the wives of the merchants. Before being married, they are converted to Islam first. So Islam developed from their descendants.

3.      Path of Sufism

The path of Sufism also played an important role in the spread of Islam, because the condition of society at that time was still thick with the religion of their ancestors (animism dynamism). After all, the Sufis were also experts in magical matters which were like the teachings of their ancestors at that time. In addition to possessing magical powers, the Sufis are also experts in medicine. One of the famous Sufis at that time was Hamzah Fanzuri in Aceh, because of that Islam was easily accepted among Indonesian people because his teachings did not deviate too far from the teachings of their ancestors at that time.[4] 

4.      Educational Path

The path of spreading Islam through education was also carried out, in the form of pesantren and Islamic boarding schools organized by religious teachers, clerics, and alama scholars. For example, the pesantren was founded by Raden Rahmat in Ampel Denta Surabaya and Sunan Giri in Giri. The output of this Giri boarding school was many were invited to Maluku to teach Islam.

5.      Art Path

The most famous path of pity is wayang. It is said that Sunan Kalijaga is a figure who is very skilled in staging wayang. He never asked for wages during the show, but he asked the audience to say two sentences of shahadat. Other arts that are tools of Islamization are literature (hikayat, badad, and so on), building arts, and carving.

6.      Political Line

In Maluku and South Sulawesi, most people converted to Islam after the king converted to Islam first. The king's political influence greatly helped the spread of Islam in this area. In addition, for the sake of political interests, Islamic governments fight non-Islamic governments. The political victory of Islam attracted many non-Muslim residents of the kingdom to convert to Islam.[5] 

If we discuss the early history of the development of Islamic education in Indonesia, this cannot be separated from the discussion of educational institutions that existed at the time the arrival of Islam in Indonesia was accompanied by the development of Islamic educational institutions themselves. The Islamic educational institutions at the beginning of the arrival of Islam in Indonesia include the following:

1. Mosques and Violations

Apart from the mosque, there are also places of worship called langgar, which are smaller than mosques and are only used for the five daily prayers, not for Friday prayers. Apart from the main function of the mosque and the breaking, it is also used as a place of education, where education is carried out for both adults and children. Education for adults is the presentation of Islamic teachings by preachers such as faith, worship, and morals. As for children, the focus is on learning the Koran, apart from that children are also given education in faith, worship, and morals. The teaching method still uses traditional methods such as halaqah, bandongn methods[6], or sorogan[7] 

2. Islamic boarding schools

Islamic boarding schools have existed since the 16th century AD when teaching centers were known as places of instruction for those who believe in Islam (santri). Some argue that the growth of pesantren since the early arrival of Islam to Indonesia, but another opinion says that pesantren only emerged during the Walisongo and Maulana Malik Ibrahim era who is seen as the first people to establish these pesantren. The essence of pesantren is education

religion and religious attitudes. The pesantren education system is still the same as the education system in surau or mosque mosques, only it is more intensive and takes a longer time. The method used only uses two methods, namely the wetonan method[8] and shove method[9].[10] 

3. Surau

According to its original meaning, the term surau is a small building built for ancestor worship. Surau for the Minangkabau people not only has the function of education and worship but also has a cultural function. Surau is thought to have existed in West Sumatra before the arrival of Islam, it's just that its role is only limited to the application of culture. And when Islam arrived, besides functioning as a cultural product, the surau also had educational and religious functions such as learning the Koran according to its rules, as well as a place for Sufi and tarekat learning.

4. Meunasah, and Rangkang

Meunasah is a word that is allied with the madrasa adopted by the people of Aceh. In the life of the Acehnese people, the meunasah is not only used as a place of study, but has multiple functions such as a place of worship, a place for meetings, meetings, a place for information, a place to sleep, and a place to stay for travelers. In terms of education, meunasah is an early educational institution for children that can be equated with elementary school level. In meunasah students learn to write Arabic letters, have religious knowledge in Jawi (Malay) language, and morals (Hasjmy, 1983:192). Next is the framework. Rangkang is a student residence built around the mosque. Education in this frame is centered on religious education, such as learning to read books in Arabic. When viewed from the current level of the school, Rangkang is equivalent to a junior high school. The education system is the same as the education system in pesantren. 

5. Zawiyah

Zawiyah is an educational institution in the Middle East region that teaches Islamic spiritual wisdom. Zawiyah was established to accommodate people who wish to study spiritual education[11]. In Indonesia, Zawiyah is an educational institution that is popular in Aceh, known as the dayah. Zawiyah is associated with Sufi orders, in which a sheik or murshid carries out Sufi activities. Has my explained that zawiya (dayah) is an educational institution that teaches religious subjects originating from language Arabic, for example, fiqh, Arabic, monotheism, tasawuf, and others. If you look at the current era, Zawiyah is at the same level as Senior High School (SMA).[12] 

 

B.     THE DEVELOPMENT OF ISLAMIC EDUCATION IN INDONESIA

 1. The Dutch Colonial Period

Islamic education during the Dutch colonial administration was known as Bumiputera education because those who entered Islamic education at that time were native Indonesians. The education system still combines Hindu and Islamic education systems. In general, education is carried out using two systems, namely: (1) the palace system; (2) the ascetic system.

The palace education system is carried out in a way, teachers come to their students. Those who became his students were the children of the nobility and the palace. On the other hand, in the ascetic system, the students come to the teacher to his hermitage. The students were no longer limited to the nobility and the royal family, but also included commoners.[13] 

The condition of Islamic education in Indonesia has experienced many obstacles so it has experienced a tremendous setback. Since the VOC era, the arrival of the Dutch to Indonesia had economic, political, and religious motives. Islamic boarding schools, mosques, and prayer rooms were considered not to help the Dutch. Islamic boarding schools are considered useless and low so they are called village schools. In 1882 AD, the Dutch government formed a special agency named Priestraden. This agency is tasked with overseeing the religious life and education of indigenous Muslims. It was on the advice of this body that in 1905 the Dutch government issued a regulation that said that people giving recitations had to ask for permission first. In 1925, the Dutch issued an even stricter regulation that not everyone (kyai) could give Koran lessons. In 1932 another regulation emerged that would eradicate and close madrasas or schools that did not have permits or gave subjects the government did not like. 

2. Period of Japanese Government

The Japanese did not pay much attention to religious interests, what was important to them was the sake of winning the war, and if necessary the clerical leaders were given more flexibility in developing their education. Japan also appeared as if it defended the interests of Islam. To seek the sympathy and support of the people of Indonesia, especially Muslims, Japan has provided several benefits to Islamic education, including the following:

1)      The office for religious affairs, which existed during the Dutch era was called the Voor Islamistische Zaken Office led by Dutch orientalists, changed by the Japanese to become the Sumubi office led by Muslims themselves, namely K.H. Hasyim Asy'ari from Jombang, and in the regions, Sumka was also formed.

2)      Islamic clerics in collaboration with nationalist leaders were allowed to form a line of Defenders of the Homeland (PETA). 3) Muslims are allowed to continue a united organization called the Indonesian A'la Islamic Council (MIAI) which is social.

4.      The Post-Independence Period

The beginning of the independent Indonesia phase was marked by the Proclamation on August 17, 1945. At the beginning of this period, Indonesia's condition was still unstable, but the government's attention to Islamic education was quite large. Religious education at that time was formally institutionally entrusted to the Ministry of Religion and the Ministry of Education and Culture.[14] 

During the development phase of the New Order era, social, religious, and political life in Indonesia progressed quite well. This is related to the government's policy on Islamic education which is increasingly stable. The efforts of the Ministry of Religion during the New Order era to improve the quality of madrasas seem to have continued, in addition to efforts to eliminate the dualism of the education system towards a mono education system. This effort is not only the duty and authority of the ministry religion but also the task of the government as a whole together with Muslims. The development of madrasas during the New Order era continued to develop, for example, namely the issuance of a Decree of 3 Ministers consisting of the Minister of Religion, Minister of Education and Culture, and Minister of Home Affairs issued a decision containing:

a)      Madrasah degree can have the same value as the value of a public school degree of the same level.

b)      Madrasah graduates can continue to public schools at a higher level.

c)      Madrasah students can move to public schools of the same level.[15] 

In addition to madrasahs and Islamic boarding schools, there are higher-level educational institutions for Islamic education in Indonesia. The higher education institutions are:

a)      Islamic Higher Education

b)      Islamic Religious College (PTAIN)

c)      Academy of Religious Studies Service (ADIA)

d)      State Institute of Islamic Religion (IAIN)

e)      State Islamic University (UIN)

f)       Private Islamic Religious College (PTAIS)[16] 

C. PROBLEMATICS OF ISLAMIC EDUCATION IN INDONESIA

As we know, not only in Indonesia but all over the world, people are always dissatisfied with the results obtained by universities. Society always demands more than what universities produce. This is because changes in society and higher education are becoming faster. The problems of Islamic education include the following.

1)      The use of classical Islamic thought, namely thinking as a product of society hundreds of years ago, is far different from the social status in which Islamic education must play a role. As a result, every Islamic material is placed in a curriculum arrangement that does not provide opportunities for the development of critical and creative power with relevant methods and has been extensively studied in modern thinking. For example, the formulation of the objectives of each field of study is emphasized as professional education rather than knowledge development in the repetition of the formulation of "knowing, memorizing, and practicing" in all faculties and departments within the IAIN environment.

2)      The systematics of departments in various faculties at IAIN and other Islamic Religious Colleges (PTAI), for example, also lacks a theoretical basis and relevance to the objective world of the ummah.

3)      Problems related to the objective situation of Islamic education, namely the existence of a conceptual crisis. The conceptual crisis regarding the definition or limitation of knowledge within the Islamic education system itself, or in the Indonesian context, is the national education system. The conceptual crisis in question is the division of knowledge in Islam, namely the separation of profane sciences (worldly sciences) from sacred sciences (religious sciences). In history it is famous for historical accidents. At that time, the science developed by ra'yu (rational) experts was opposed by the fuqaha. The ra'yu experts spearheaded by mu'tazilah figures suffered defeat and were then eliminated.

4)      The institutional crisis is caused by a dichotomy between educational institutions that emphasize one aspect of the existing sciences, whether religious sciences or general sciences. For example, with the dualism of the system[17] education, religious education is represented by madrasahs and[18] Islamic boarding schools with general education, and at the tertiary level, there are IAIN with public universities.

5)      Islamic education is a methodological crisis and a pedagogic crisis. A. Mukti Ali at the beginning of his tenure as Minister of Religion of the Republic of Indonesia realized how weak the methodology of Islam in general and IAIN in particular was. Nowadays there are more and more trends among Islamic institutions that what happens is that the institution is a teaching process rather than a learning process, an educational process. The teaching process only fills cognitive/intellectual aspects but does not fill aspects of personal/character formation so education is no longer understood as a long life education process. Issues like this are very relevant to today's era, which is called the era of postmodernism (postmodernism); a time when globalization resulted in more dislocations, social chaos or displacement, many people were excluded and alienated, and so on. People with strong personalities and characters will be more resilient in facing globalization or its negative impacts.

6)      Orientation Crisis. Islamic educational institutions or the Islamic education system are generally more oriented to the past than to the future. Therefore students do not imagine future challenges.

7)      Still too dependent on the pattern of education outlined by the government, namely education to support development programs.

8)      Lack of funds so that Islamic education is oriented towards all consumers of Islamic education and is also dictated by employment-determining institutions. 9) The national education system is still unstable.

9)      The rapid development of culture and societal change so that the world of education is increasingly powerless to compete with the pace of societal change and cultural development.

10)  Society's appreciation of Islamic educational institutions is not encouraging enough and psychological barriers stem from the powerlessness of Islamic education in fulfilling the logic of competition.

11)  The existence of a social layer that is based on all-materialistic standards and causes people to compete to invade their favorite schools or educational institutions, ignoring the ideological aspects that are hidden behind them.

12)  There is a tendency for mismanagement, for example, unhealthy competition between leaders and closed leadership.[19] 

 

 CONCLUSION

        From the description above, we can conclude that the development of Islamic education in Indonesia has developed along with the arrival and development of Islam itself. The institutions also developed at the same time, but the methods and models of teaching were still classified as traditional and there was no specific recognition from the government. Until the Japanese government, it was there that Islamic education received special attention from the Japanese government for their own needs.

After the New Order era took effect, it was there that the Ministerial Decree was issued which issued a policy that madrasas were on the same level as public schools, and it was from there that further institutions of Islamic education developed, even though there were several obstacles.

 

 

[1] Musyrifah Sunanto. (History of Indonesian Islamic Civilization. Cet. 4th. Jakarta: PT Raja Grafindo Persada. 2012). p., 8-9

[2] Ibid. 

[3] Samsul Munir Amin. (History of Islamic Civilization. Jakarta: Amzah. 2009). h., 305

[4] Orphan Badri. (History of Islamic Civilization. Print. 2nd. Jakarta: PT Raja Grafindo Persada. 2014). h., 201-202

[5] Ibid. h., 203-204 

[6] bandongan is a method in which a teacher reads and explains the contents of a book, surrounded by several students who each hold a similar book, listen and records the information given by the teacher regarding the discussion in the book on book sheets or on other note paper

[7] Sorogan is a method in which the students present a book in front of their teacher, then the teacher guides how to read it, memorize it, and at the next level how translate and interpret it.

[8] the method in which the Kyai reads a book at a particular time, and the santri carrying the same book listens and pays attention to the kiai's reading

[9] the method in which the santri (usually the smart ones) offer a book to the kiai to read in front of the kiai, and if there is a mistake the kiai corrects it immediately

[10] http://irpan1990.wordpress.com/2011/07/01/lembaga-lembaga-pendidikan-islam. Accessed on Wednesday 21 March 2018 at 23:06 WITA

[11] Mahmud. (Sociology of Education. Bandung: CV Pustaka Setia. 2012). h., 188-262

[12] Heydar Putra Daulay. (The History of Growth and Renewal of Islamic Education in Indonesia. Cet, 2nd. Jakarta: Kencana. 2009). p., 21-17

[13] Ramayulis. (History of Islamic Education. Jakarta: Radar Jaya. 2012). h., 254

[14] http://makalahdikislamlengkap.blogspot.co.id/2016/09/dinding-Islam-di-indonesia_4.html. accessed on Wednesday, March 21 at 09:35 WITA

[15] Ramayulis. (History of Islamic Education. Jakarta: Radar Jaya. 2012). h., 354-355

[16] Mahmud Yunus, History of Islamic Education in Indonesia, (Jakarta: Hidayakarya, 1979), p. 121-125

[17] Ibid. 

[18] student. (Journal of Alternative Educational Thoughts; Reform of the Islamic Education System in Indonesia. P3M STAIN Purwokerto: Insania. 2007). p., 3-5

[19] Ibid.