Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for Community Empowerment, Muhaimin Iskandar, has called on Islamic boarding schools (pesantren) to enhance their role as hubs of community empowerment to help accelerate poverty reduction.
"Pesantren must upgrade their roles, not only as educational institutions, but also as centers of community empowerment," he said during a visit to Pesantren Gedongan in Cirebon, West Java, on Thursday.
Iskandar noted that pesantren have historically played a key role in alleviating poverty by offering non-discriminatory access to education, especially for underprivileged communities.
"For centuries, Islamic boarding schools have proven to be accessible to all segments of society, both the wealthy and the poor," he said.
He expressed confidence that strengthening pesantren as inclusive educational institutions can be a powerful way to break the cycle of poverty.
Iskandar praised Pesantren Gedongan's initiative to open a job training center aimed at equipping local communities with vocational skills for greater economic independence.
He added that such initiatives align with Presidential Instruction (Inpres) No. 8/2025 on the Acceleration of Poverty Alleviation, which emphasizes collaboration across sectors.
"Let's continue to expand these efforts so that both students and surrounding communities can benefit from improved quality of life," he said.
Iskandar reaffirmed his ministry's commitment to supporting pesantren in community empowerment efforts, calling it essential to the national target of reducing extreme poverty to zero percent by 2026.
"We are pursuing various development efforts. Industries must grow, unemployment must not rise, and job opportunities must increase," he emphasized.
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Translator: Fathnur Rohman, Asri Mayang Sari
Editor: Anton Santoso
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