Religious Affairs Minister Promotes Pesantren Independence, Praises Al Yasini's Economic and Digital Innovations

JurnalPost.com - Minister of Religious Affairs Nasaruddin Umar reaffirmed the Ministry of Religious Affairs' commitment to continuously strengthening the independence and improving the quality of Islamic boarding schools (pesantren) in Indonesia. According to him, pesantren possess a unique educational system that combines scientific knowledge with character building and spiritual depth.

The Minister conveyed this during his visit to the Al Yasini Integrated Islamic Boarding School in Pasuruan Regency, East Java, on Saturday (10/10/2026). During the visit, the Minister was briefed on various innovations at the school, ranging from productive economic development and environmental conservation to digital service transformation.

The Minister explained that the excellence of pesantren education lies in a learning methodology that does not rely solely on intellectual capacity. The pesantren tradition also teaches students (santri) to sharpen their intuition, engage in contemplation (tafakkur), and practice soul purification (tazkiyah) as part of the pursuit of knowledge.

"In the pesantren, tazkiyah comes first, then ta'lim (the reception of knowledge). The learning process is not just intellectual deduction; it involves intuition, contemplation, and tazkiyah. This is what brings blessings, resulting in a level of spiritual depth known as haqqun yaqin," the Minister explained to the students.

Furthermore, the Minister expressed high hopes for strengthening the institutional capacity of pesantren through the establishment of a Directorate General of Pesantren. The presence of this unit is expected to bolster government support in advancing the pesantren ecosystem, covering aspects of education, independence, and community empowerment.

“Through this Directorate General of Pesantren, we hope that the Ministry of Religious Affairs can continue to elevate the dignity and advance Islamic boarding schools in Indonesia, including Al Yasini,” he said.

Meanwhile, the caretaker of Al Yasini Islamic Boarding School, Nanik Asnawati, presented the achievements of the school, which was founded in 1940 and now hosts 4,561 students, particularly in strengthening economic independence through cooperatives and productive business units to support education and empower the surrounding community.

"Currently, the Al Yasini Cooperative has 19 retail units, our own bottled drinking water product—Al Yasini, which is in front of you—and a Sharia-based savings and loan cooperative with 10 service offices," Nanik explained.

Thanks to these business developments, the Al Yasini Cooperative successfully won 1st place as an Outstanding Cooperative in East Java in the independent pesantren cooperative category, as well as 1st place in the National Santripreneur competition in the trade category in 2026. This success has provided direct benefits through various social and educational programs.

"The proceeds from the business are distributed annually through scholarships for memorizers of the Quran (tahfidz) and high-achieving students, as well as assistance for uniforms, learning facilities, and at least 1,000 basic food packages distributed every Ramadan, the distribution of sacrificial animals, and aid for the construction and renovation of community facilities," she revealed.

In addition to developing productive businesses, Al Yasini also manages cash waqf and Sharia-based endowment funds to support the sustainability of the school's mission. This step is part of an effort to build economic independence oriented toward long-term public benefit.

Regarding environmental aspects, Nanik explained that Al Yasini implements an eco-pesantren concept based on eco-theology through waste management, energy conservation, solar energy utilization, and biogas development. These innovations led to Al Yasini being nominated for an environmental award from the East Java Environmental Agency.

Al Yasini has also undergone a digital-based service transformation. This innovation was developed to improve the effectiveness of school management while strengthening parental involvement in monitoring student progress.

"In facing technological developments, we developed the Al Yasini-U application to make it easier for parents to monitor their children's health, discipline, achievements, attendance, and permits. We also introduced the Saku application for card-based cashless transactions, allowing parents to set spending limits for their children," Nanik explained.

Before visiting Al Yasini, the Minister attended an event at Yudharta University Pasuruan, where he emphasized the importance of integrating science and religion in building the progress of civilization. After leaving Al Yasini, the Minister continued his series of visits by meeting with the Mambaus Shalihin Islamic Boarding School in Gresik, East Java.

This series of visits is part of the Ministry of Religious Affairs' focus on strengthening Islamic education and the pesantren ecosystem. Through improvements in educational quality, economic independence, and technological innovation, it is hoped that pesantren will become more empowered, adaptive, and provide broad benefits to society.