Oleh: Muhammad Dhofir*
Islamic boarding school, or it is often called the cottage or Ponpes (Pondok Pesantren), is the school of Islam in Indonesia. An education of Islamic boarding school has a purpose to deepen about knowledge of Al-Qur’an and Sunnah Rasul, with learning Arabic language and theory of Arabic language. The students of traditional Muslim (Santri) learn in this school, all at once they stay in dormitory that has been prepared by school of Qur’anic (pesantren).
An Islamic boarding school is begun from a kiai (teacher of Islam) in that place, coming the students who want to learn religion. Those traditional Muslim students come to the Islamic boarding school to learn together with the kiai.
Islamic boarding school is the center of value development and broadcasting of Islam religion, but in its development, this institution is wider not only applying the religious lessons in the vertical mobility, but also in the horizontal mobility (social awareness). At the present, Islamic boarding school also attends to the society problem (society-based curriculum). Thereby, Islamic boarding school is not only missionized as the religious institution, but also it should become a social institution that responds in around of its social problem.