UM Surabaya Lecturer Shares Tips on Choosing the Right Islamic Boarding School for Children

• 08 Feb
• 2023

Ilustrasi gambar (Merdeka.com/Arie Basuki)

UM Surabaya Lecturer Shares Tips on Choosing the Right Islamic Boarding School for Children

• Article
• By Uswah Sahal
• Religion
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Lately, Islamic boarding schools or boarding school models are increasingly in demand by the public. This cannot be separated from the quality of Islamic boarding schools which continue to improve from time to time. In addition, the people's mindset towards the pesantren world has also changed.

In the view of society before, sending children to Islamic boarding schools was a kind of punishment if their children were naughty. Now the selection of Islamic boarding schools as a place for children's growth and development has become public awareness for several reasons, for example the need for integrative learning between religious and general sciences is increasing, parents are busy so they cannot supervise children's learning optimally, or the inability of parents to provide appropriate scientific provisions with the developments and demands of the times.

As the new school year approaches, some parents feel anxious about how to choose the right boarding school for their children. It's only natural, especially for parents who don't know the world of Islamic boarding schools well. This anxiety is exacerbated by negative news about Islamic boarding schools, for example related to skin disease habits, violence in the Islamic boarding school world, teachings of terrorism, or other matters.

Gandhung Fajar Panjalu, a lecturer at the Faculty of Islamic Religion (FAI) UM Surabaya, said that there were many positive values that were obtained when children entered Islamic boarding schools.

“Discipline to worship and study on time is one of the main points. In addition, independence and the ability to socialize with friends are also values that are instilled, "said Fajar Wednesday (8/2/23)

In his statement, Fajar shared a number of tips for parents on how to choose the right Islamic boarding school for their children.

First, discuss it with the child. However, discussing with children regarding education plans is important. In addition to measuring children's abilities, it is also to ensure that children have the will to study at Islamic boarding schools. If a child feels uncomfortable with the pesantren where he studies, it will affect the process and results of his later learning.

First, choose a boarding school with the expected advantages. Some pesantren have distinct advantages. For example, Islamic boarding schools with strengthening knowledge of nahwu sharaf, tahfidz, foreign language skills, and even some modern Islamic boarding schools have advantages in the fields of science and entrepreneurship. There are also pesantren that have financial advantages, for example providing scholarships for students who meet certain requirements. Information about this aspect of excellence can be found through websites, alumni information, and pesantren observers.

Second, conduct a survey of Islamic boarding schools that are of interest. Before choosing a boarding school as a place for children to study, first visit the institution to see first hand the facilities and learning processes they have.

“Make sure that the pesantren has proper learning facilities, as well as adequate bedrooms and bathrooms with the number of students. Prioritize those who have bathrooms with running water, aka not accommodated for too long, thereby minimizing the potential for skin diseases that are usually experienced by students," added Fajar again.

Third, choose a boarding school with full services. The services in question range from education, health, to interest-talent development. In education services, choose Islamic boarding schools that have integrated formal and non-formal education curricula.

Fajar emphasized that this election cannot be ignored considering that a formal certificate is a prerequisite document for continuing education to the next level. Health services are related to guarantees that later the child will get the best service if unwanted things happen such as illness.

"Meanwhile, interest-talent development services are related to channeling positive hobbies outside of lectures, for example extra-curricular sports, languages, and so on," concluded Fajar.