The dynamic views of kiais in response to the government regulations for the development of pesantren

Abstract

The study discusses the dynamics of kiais’ views in response to the government regulations to develop education in pesantren. It is a descriptive qualitative study on the kiais in Pondok Pesantren Lirboyo, Kediri, East Java, Indonesia. Using a theory of social construction of reality, it scrutinizes the regulations that the government issued and the ways the kiais are responding to them. The social construction of the kiais brings a dynamic action in developing the pesantren. Government regulations related to the education in pesantren, as a social reality, are not textually accepted. Rather, the kiais always seek to address these regulations creatively and dynamically as to integrate the education in pesantren with the old tradition and modernity, because of which the needs and development of society can be fulfilled. The knowledge of the kiais influences the actions in developing education in pesantren. Innovative and dynamic views of the kiais lead to the growth of pesantren in multiple dimensions.