Saturday, January 2, 2010

TRADITIONAL MOSLEM BOARDING SCHOOL

ex Indonesia President, the 4th
TRADITIONAL BoardinG SchooL

      Santri prayer before Gus Dur funeral
 
Pondok Building
Soon after Abdul Rachman Wahid (Gus Dur), ex Indonesian President the 4th passed away, Tebu Ireng Pondok Pesantren, 8 km outside Jombang - Kediri, Jombang district, east Java, Indonesia, became one of the news focussed in a whole week, where Gus Dus remain buried side by side with his anchestors, Kiyai Hasym Asy'ari and Kiyyai Wahid Hasyim, grandfather and father, who the inisiator of  Tebu Ireng Pesantren from scratch.

As for my honor to this great man, our hero, I had eager to explore about Tebu Ireng boarding school, where he was born, the school belong to him, the first traditional school who adopted "General theories" had been taught by Public schools.
           Santri prayer before Gus Dur's funeral

Pondok Pesantren was an institution who run the traditional religious boarding schools who taught Holy Books, religion knowledges, Arab language  and General theories or knowledges as well simultaneously, from the basic, junior and up until high school level. Including the Holy books were Yellow books in hand written by Kiyai Hasym Asy'ari himself neatly kept in the cup board that Gus Dur even been read and learn.

Tebu Ireng Pesantren managed and headed for the first 48 years by K.H.Hasyim Asyari himself from 1899 - 1947 and replaced  recently for the 7th time since 2006 by Mr.K.H.Salahuddin Wahid, brother of Gus Dur, was built  121 years ago, precisely in 1889 by Mr.KH.Hasyim Asy'ari with only 8 Santri pupils, in 6 x 8 meters room size.

Fifty years later, in 1940 total Santris rise more than 20.000 and became a human sources for development of a new Pesantren in whole east Province areas. Many top Kiyais in Indonesia or East Java as Tebu Ireng graduated  made them paid a high respect to Abdul Rahman Wahid as Kiay's son nor Kiayi's grandson as well.

In the very beginning, Tebu Ireng education system as Pesantrens general methodology,  education systems learning by two basic methods, 1. Sorogan, 2. Weton or Bandongan or Halqah. Sorongan method, where Santri read the yellow Books in front of Teacher/Kiyai and the 2nd method was The  Books read by the Teacher and explain the meaning later by the Kiayi .

After a long way after 30 years, in 1929 Tebu Ireng  made a fundmental changes by adopting General knowledges and theories in to the Curicula that never happened in any Pesantren system before. Tebu Ireng had awared of their weakness not taught General knowledge in the system that was necessarily in daily life.
As a qonsequences, many pupils move to another Pesantrens who kept the traditional education system.


As Kiayi of Tebu Ireng, Gus Dur follow his grandfather wisdom by adopted modern, western  theories, but never had in mind to forget traditional way of religious school as old Pondokpesantren system. Even Gus Dur body not buried in special Hero Gaden grave, Taman Makan Pahlawan, but as requested lied down back, next to his boarding school, his hometown, Tebu Irang, Jombang, East Java.


Yes, he is truly  a "hero" who ever spare his his own  life to tell the true as Leo Tolstoy said: "The hero of tale - whom I love with all the power of my soul. whom I have tried to potray ain all his beauty, who has been, is, and will be beautiful - is Truth"

Recently the school under Hasyim Asy'ari foundation run formal education and Non formal and other services as well. Four schools from basic to high school levels,  1. Madrasah Salafiyah, 2. Safi'iyah Tsanawiyah, 3. SMP A.Wahid Hasyim/Madrasah Aliyah , and 4. SMA A.Wahid Hasyim.

Non formal education by running Madrasah Diniyyah, Mah'ad Aly Hasym Ashari, beside another sevices such as Hospitl, Cooperative body, Library, Printing unit and many more.
           sitting on the floor and low level table
Tebu Ireng Pesantren kept equipped with modern facilities as other General high schools facilities  such as Languages Laboratory, Computers, Art tallents development and Library. The distinguish of the Library where they kept The Clasic "Yellow Books" of KH.Abdul Hasyim Asyari hand written in a neat order in the Cupboards.                      
                                                                                                                                                    


Interesting to know some of basic principles taught in  schools such as "Istiqomah" is better than "Karomah" meaning that doing somethings is better than just had a Karomah, high education and knowledges without or less implementation.

Another life foundation based on wisdom words "Without Religion was blind and Religion without Knowledges was Limp".



Pesantren world where the place that Santris, including Gus Dur and other Kiayis (teachers) had fully understood the meaning of Moslem clasic thingkings that had been rooted in Pesantren traditional life, named "Ahlussunnah wal jamaah" or Aswaja

Sending a children to Islam boarding schools, far away from home its not easy decision for parent and the children as well, because the Santri will lived in a monotonous way of live. For the first week, month or so, they will struggled to ajust to a new life and enviroment. But some time later they will be accostumed to the rituals and switch to the new mentality, adopting a new way of live. Eventually they enjoyed lived in a full time studies, praying and any other curiculas. No more distractions and no more time for playing games, relaxing since the room mates, all friends lived in heavy diciplines on board.

They forget sort of lived in relax circumtances at home with a lot of toys and facilities, a lot of money,  play out side the house with friends surrounding, some with bad influences. Live in Pondok Pesantren was  far from what world could offer. They always lived in peacefull situation, not far from religion rituals, azans, 5 time praying schedule. Almost similar with Seminary schools for Christian students who lived in the dormitory.

I wrote this topic and up dated regularly as my share of appreciation and honor to our beloved Abdul Rachman Wahid who passed away in Dec 31, 2009 as a Hero, including our minority group.

Good bye Gus Dur.

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