1,845 Islamic Boarding Schools Possess Economic Potential in the Fields of Cooperatives, MSMEs, and Islamic Finance

National Santri Day will be commemorated on October 22, 2021. Up to the first semester of 2020/2021, Indonesia had a recorded 30,495 Islamic boarding schools (pondok pesantren), 4.3 million students (santri), and 474,000 teachers spread throughout the archipelago.

According to Ministry of Religious Affairs statistics, the largest number of pesantren (1,845) have economic potential in the fields of cooperatives, SMEs, and Islamic finance. Furthermore, 1,479 pesantren have potential in agribusiness.

Then, there are 1,141 pesantren with potential in plantation agriculture, 1,053 in livestock farming, and 797 in sports.

On the other hand, the economic potential of pesantren in the vocational sector is the smallest, with only 112 pesantren involved. Furthermore, 318 pesantren have potential in the maritime sector and 349 in the healthcare sector.

The government has affirmed its continued support for the economic potential of Islamic boarding schools. Thus, the communities surrounding the pesantren can be empowered. This is also expected to help in the recovery of the regional economy.

(Read More: 323,300 Students Reside in East Java, the Highest Nationally)