The Strategy of Traditional Islamic Boarding School-Based Management Program

Before discussing the implementation of Boarding School-Based Management, the writer tried to quote the idea of Prof. Dr. Azumardi Azra as he expounded, in any case there are three principal function of Boarding-School:
a. Transmission of Islamic knowledge.
b. Maintenance of Islamic knowledge.
c. Reproduction of Ulama’ .
Therefore, boarding school is absolutely as the indigenous educational institution is explicitly demanded to produce the skilled-manpower on accordance with the Islamic precept. And the important thing that boarding school ought to endorse and support the program of SISDIKNAS that ones of its missions are producing the holistic personality (insan kamil) or skilled-manpower with the high quality.
a. The Management of Traditional Islamic Boarding School.
1) The leadership in traditional Islamic boarding-school.
The leadership of traditional Islamic boarding-school tends to Gestalt system, for there are number of unique things which are apperent. For instance, the traditional Islamic boarding-school which embodied the “madradah”, the head master of boarding-school is allowed to execute the authority and make the decision formally as chief of “madrasah”. In the other side, the traditional Islamic boarding school which doesn’t establish the formal school, the duty of head master of boarding-school probably just giving some direction, coordination (deliberation) for implementing the boarding-school’s programs. The technic affairs are given to the directed staff (the manager of boarding-school, teacher, and so on). Commonly, on account of schope of boarding-school is truly quite complex, it’s often occurred that the format of leadership of boarding-school is quite flexibel, it depends on the capacity and capability of Kiai.
Hence, in the compiling the strategy the head master of boarding-school is definitely expected to involve the other sides who has relation with it in order to compile the issue priority which is settled. And be able to be inspirator for the sole purpose of achievement of dynamic learding community. In the context of educational boarding-school, the condusive learning circumstance must be endorsed by the work of Kiai, teacher, students, parents synergically on accordance with their capacity and ability. In this case, the good skill of Kiai is undoubtedly hoped.


2) The decision-taking of traditional Islamic Boarding-school
Generally, the decision-making of educational institution tends to the “rasional-scientific”, but the decision-making of traditional boarding-school is “emotional-subjective”. The head master of traditional Islamic boarding-school would not be in the great hurry particulary in the decision-taking. They don’t just consider some thing logically, but the inner/lustrous is some thing could not be ignored, tawassul to their teachers, they don’t forget to surrender to god and execute the istiharah to Allah almighty. The type of this decision-making is more extremely indicate the culture of Islamic boarding school and it is the inherent model of leadership in traditional boarding-school particularly in our country.
There are multitude affairs in Islamic boarding-school ever from head master, teacher, students, and community. Most heads master of traditional Islamic boarding-school are not accustomed to prepare the meeting agenda systematically, and finally it will need long time to achieve the wanted item, but it’s hampered. Hence, the assistance is expected to note and write down the core result of meeting.


3) The conflict management
The management activity of Islamic boarding-school absolutely will have the conflict potencies which the attention of Kiai is truly needed. For there are many community of Islamic boarding-school consist of head master, students, parent, teacher, enterpreneur and so on who carry the different interest that easily incur some conflict. If the smallest conflict is really neglected it will annoy the program of management of boarding-school especially learning-teaching process.
The effective method to overcome the conflict:
a) Structural approach: the conflict is submitted to upper organization of boarding-school. Therefore, the structure of boarding-school organization must be well-designed untill the individual, group, organization unit have the leader who is in the charge of that all.
b) The group approach, which the more dominant group can lead the conflict-overcoming by preparing the solution which can be easilly received by the whole component of boarding-school.
c) Bargaining among conflict doer, which the conflict is brought over the meeting in order to look for the sharp solution.
d) Changing organizational relationship.
e) Solving problem apporach.
f) Improving the communication among unit.
4) Cadrezation
The weakest side of traditional Islamic boarding school management is function of cadrezation. It’s generally done by imitation method. The selected student of Islamic boarding-school which is considered has ability is deputized in some boarding-school activity which is done by senior student in order to pay attention that. Hopefuly the cadre can absorb the scientific capacity and the whole manners which are done by senior student that is imitated by him. But unfortunately, the reality has proved that the method is very ineffective, the cadre doesn’t qualify it optimally.
The system of traditional cadrezation can’t be ignored ceaslessly without any renewal, if it’s truly occurred the Islamic boarding-school will lose it’s ability to appreciate the society’s demand (the boarding-school with the high quality). The proper thing to do is executing the re-orientation particularly in the cadrization system in boarding-school by implementing the system of modern cadrezation which is endorsed with the reational-scientific apporach by paying attention to the original value of boarding-school.



Moreover, the way of cadrezation are:
a) Selection of potencial cadre as soon as possible.
b) General education and particular one which support the cadre’s needs in order to execute the duty for the future in boarding-school.
c) The gradual evaluation, ever it is concerning the personal academic ability and social.
d) The remedial education particularly for the cadre who perceive the fact of having fallen behind.
e) The volunteer practice, in order to employ/ practice the educated cadre who is expected.
f) The cadre certification, to determine cadre’s qualification.
5) The process of developing of Traditional
Islamic boarding school curriculum
There are two proper processes to be achieved in the developing of boarding-school curriculum, those are the improvement of guidelines of curriculum and instructional improvement. The traditional Islamic boarding-school has been in the profound difficulties concerning these processes, for the planning of curriculum is not systematically prepared, ever its curriculum is based on its Kiai. The curriculum is taken from the place when Kiai studied. The teaching methods are as follow:
1) Bandongan: The method which Motivates the student in order to be more self-reliant: the head master of boarding school tries to read the holy book (kitab kuning and so on), translates and expounds it concisely. In the same time the students try to listen up and imitate the read holy book.
2) Sorogan: Teaching method which is not done by student and kiai their selves, ever surely with another students of boarding school ( together).
Recently, the government gave the trust to traditional Islamic boarding-school and the program of obligatory study of elementary school for nine years. It can be understood that traditional boarding-school ought to execute the school functions, such as implementing the planned education and instruction, the systematization is the important one, also the improvement of curriculum in boarding-school.
6) The financial management of traditional Islamic boarding-school
There are many Islamic boarding-school doesn’t separate the boarding-school properties and individual owned, although it has been known that funding of Islamic boarding-school will definitely appear from individual property, for another sources doesn’t qualify well. It’s wise to say that the separation of Islamic boarding-school properties and individual owned is the important thing to do in order to make the good management, because the transparancy will be absolutely known over this way. The individual properties that is involved in the managing of boarding-school ought to be done in the form of hibah, infaq, another constribution these are managed with another sources orderly.
In this case the writer tried to quote the opinion of Dr. A. Malik Fajar, M.Sc. pertaining to the system of boarding school commonly.
1) From the leadership aspect boarding school is still extremely in the model of centralistic leadership and the hierarchy which is centered in one Kiai, the pedigree of boarding school truly has the unique history, it’s usually on effort of Kiai him self. Hence, in the advancement of boarding school later the figure of Kiai absolutely influence it ever he is as the determiner one (centralistic), this model will surely incur the authorized management, the renewal is difficult thing as it depend on the characteristic of Kiai. Some thing to be noticed that this model is not quite prospective for the continuity of boarding school in the future, as there are many well-known boarding schools finally just so-so disappeared for the Kiai passed away.
2) The disadvantage in the aspect of methodology, it was commonplace to be known that boarding school has the overwhelming tradition surely in the transmission of classic knowledge. However, because there is lack of improvement of methodology, the process of transmission just affords the scientific accumulation. Muhammah Tholhah Hasan, the muslim intelligence of Nahdlotul Ulama’ (NU) ever he criticized, that the teaching tradition as mentioned above will truly cause the weakness of creativity.
3) Occurring the disorientation, its mean, the boarding school loses an ability to define and reposition it’s self particularly in the social reality that massive change always definitely occurs. In this context of change, boarding school perceives the dilemmatic problem either to maintain it’s self or to adopt and absorb the new culture which come from out of boarding school because of needs. However, boarding school is certainly demanded to perform reorientation toward role of education, religion, and social.
Although its development is accordance with the process of Islamization, and also it’s exactly as the Islamic symbol, Islamic boarding school basically as the original product of Indonesian culture. And after embodiment of analysis pertaining to the boarding school for 3 decades, boarding school really flourished either in villages or in cities. The data of DEPAG (department of religious) from year 1977 up to 1997 proved that advance of boarding school’s amount: 224% and advance of student’s amount: 261%.
If we try to inquiry the transmission of knowledge in the circle of Islamic boarding school, commonly knowledge cultivation is the stressed thing than the advancing of knowledge, for this reality has the interrelation with the 2 main function of boarding school: transmission of knowledge and maintenance of Islamic tradition. And nevertheless, students of boarding school don’t obtain yet the social recognition if they just study in a boarding school in their region, they ought to go to another region to look for science till enable to occur the scholar exchange.



b. The weakness of Traditional Islamic
Boarding-school Management
1) Boarding-school is indigenous Islamic institution which was emanated from the style of sufism (Islamic mysticism), whether its shortcome is making the Sufi master as the pattern, till in the commonsense it seems quite dirty, careless and lack of attention to worldly needs.
2) Moreover, the teaching method of boarding-school commonly are Sorogan and Wetonan, we can definitely obtain its shortage, lack of ability in the logical reasoning, for the doctrine is merely memorizing some thing, and there are many students who don't conceive and comprehend well the lesson they memorized.
3) And the most instructed books in the boarding-school generally are yellow book (kitab kuning), the shortage is alien from the contemporary problem occured in the society, as the subject just rests on the one sources. And besides that it will truly need the long time, till students loss the precious occasion to learn another scientific book which it currently flourished.
4) Some thing concerning the means, it was commonplace that boarding-school has no sufficient means in order to facilitate the teaching-learning activity. It's also an apperent weakness.
5) The boarding-school commonly belongs to the individual, family and certain group, the shortage is undoubtedly more dominant, for it will incur the authority leadership, the transparacy is definitely not cared, the revival is not easily accepted save there is the owner's consicousness and it's exclusive looked.
6) Some thing pertaining to the advancement, Traditional Islamic boarding-school has flourished over the country, unfortunetly not all Traditional Islamic boarding-school has the similar quality in educating its student.
7) The religious tradition of Traditional Islamic boarding-school is quite powerful, but the fanatism toward certain opinion without caring to the another school of thought is become a shortage, if there are Fiqh affairs the quarrel will truly occured, one blames another.
c. The Obstacles of Traditional Islamic
Boarding-School Management
1) The transformative leadership has apparently proven the success in every institution. Unfortunately, the Traditional Islamic boarding-school is generally in the centralistic leadership which it only relies on the dignity. Most Traditional Islamic boarding-school has the mono-management and mono-administration, there is no delegation of authority to the unit of work in some organization.
2) The Traditional Islamic boarding- school is belonging to the individual it's not utterly comnunal owned. The authority of head master of boarding-school (Kiai) is quite overwhelming and undisturbed. The factor of heredity is also very powerful till the Kiai can trust his leadership to his beloved son and there is no component of boarding-school protests.
3) The model of curriculum tends to adapt the curriculum of Traditional Islamic boarding-school where Kiai acquired science and it's treated rigidly.
4) The unwillingness of Kiai to adopt the innovative and reformative opinion and thought, for he is worry loss favor of science obtained from his teacher.
d. The Management of Modern Islamic Boarding-School (Gontor)
The management of Gontor Modern Islamic Boarding-School truly has the similarity with the School-Based Management (definitely in the context of system), there are human framework, curriculum framework, resources framework, accountability framework, and stake holders are really involved in its implementation. And Gontor undoubedly has the transformational model of leadership that will be intelligibly clarified:
1) The head master of boarding school is a manager, he is as the planning-maker in the institution, also as the coordinator of activities, distributor of duties, motivator of teachers and staffs, and the most important thing is as the guider , manager and director.
2) The head master of boarding school is also as the controller of curriculum, personnel, students, financial, means, facility, and general administration.
3) The head master of boarding school is as leader who motivates, guides, direct, moves and convinces the whole followers.
4) The head master of boarding school is also as the supervisor, he ought to be perceptive in every direction, in the cases of supervising, evaluating, and analyzing and be able to give some solution.
5) The head master of boarding school is as innovator, he is truly expected to move for the sole purpose of advancement and development.
6) The head master of Islamic boarding school is as motivator, he is able to reach out the valuable income for the teachers, staffs, and manager of institutional units, students, society, ever government.
7) The head master of Islamic boarding school is as evaluator, he is able to control many activities, and either it’s executed by individual or group.
Hence, to implement and manage these all are very difficult save kiai who has qualification follow, and he is certainly expected one in making boarding school program successful:
1) Sincerity
2) Hard worker.
3) Having wide and matured perception (thought perception and scientific perception)
4) Having the good mentality and high bravery.
5) Be able to act firmly on accordance with sunnah and discipline of boarding school.
6) Having the high idealism, not mere the pragmatism.
7) To be visionary.
8) Always be initiative-taker.
9) Be able to make and utilize the network.
10) Can be trusted as can do.
11) Honest and transparent.
1) The Institutional Aspect.
The institutional aspect and organization of Gontor establish the new system by trusting/giving boarding school to whole Muslim at year 1958 which was represented by an institutional named by Waqf Board (Badan Wakaf). This institution was trusted to 15 alumni who really conceive and understand well pertaining to the principal value and the main lines of boarding school direction. And these institutions are: Waqf Board (Badan Wakaf), Islamic Teaching Training College (KMI), Darussalam Institute of Islamic Studies (ISID), Guidance and Counseling Department, The Family Association of Darussalam Gontor (IKPM), The Foundation for Maintenance and Waqf Enlargement (YPPWPM), The Construction of Pondok, The Cooperation of Boarding School, BKSM.
2) Management Aspect.
The management aspect there are many peoples say that one of boarding school weakness is management aspect. The management of traditional Islamic boarding school is commonly exclusive, centralistic, familial relationship. Gontor Modern Islamic boarding school tries to overcome the inherent shortage by implementing the different management as done in another one generally. The management of Gontor is truly executed by regarding to the principal of transparency, accountability, and togetherness. The principal of transparency serves as basis for the whole management of education activity and the instruction in boarding school, for instance, a transparency in planning and implementing some programs and also a transparency in implementing the financial management.
We can stare at the financial transparency in Gontor Modern Islamic Boarding School. The head master of Islamic boarding school doesn’t only deliver the financial report, the program implementation, also some wisdom to the Waqf Board (Badan Wakaf) ever he ought to deliver some report to entire students of boarding school frankly.
3) Curriculum Aspect
The curriculum of Gontor Modern Islamic Boarding School always be observed and renewed in every time by considering at the advancement and changes occurred out of boarding school also refer to the principal:
“Al-mukhafadatu ala alqodim assolih wal akhzu bil jadiidil ashlah”. The change is rapidly done particularly if it’s pertaining to the general curriculum, however, if it’s concerning the religious curriculum it will be carefully done. The renewal of curriculum is done by integrating both of them till the instruction of general science (kauniyah) is not apart from the religious value, and the contrariwise, the instruction of religious sciences are improved on accordance with the development of general science.
Moreover, the academicals curriculum implemented in ITTC/KMI is divided into various programs of study as follow:
a) Arabic language which comprises: al-Imla’, Thamrin al-Lughah, al-Muthala’ah, Nahwu, al-sharf, al-Balaghah, Tarih al-Adab, and al-Khat al-Arabi.
b) Dirasah islamiyyah which contains: al-Qur’an, al-Tajwid, al-Tauhid, al-Tafsir, al-Hadits, Musthalah al-Hadits, al-fiqh, Ushul al-Fiqh, al-Faraidl, al-Din al-Islami, Muqaranant al-Adyan, Tarikh al-Islam, al-Mantiq, and translation (al-Tarjamah).
c) The education science which consists of: al-Tarbiyah wa al-Ta’lim, it’s delivered by Arabic language, and Psychology of education which is delivered by Indonesia language.
d) English language which is comprises: Reading and Comprehension, Grammar, Composition, and Dictation. The whole subjects are delivered by English language.
e) Exact science which comprises: Arithmetic and Mathematics
f) The Realm sciences which consists of: Physics and Biology
g) The Historical science which comprises: National and International history, Geography, Sociology, and General Psychology.
h) Indonesian sciences which consists of Indonesia language, State structure, the mark “e” up to “h” are delivered by Indonesian language.
If we stare at the curriculum instructed in Gontor we will definitely remember some thing remarked by Syed Naquib Al-Attas pertaining to the aim of education for the Muslims,
“The aim of Muslim education is the creation of the “good and righteous man” who worships Allah in the true sense of the term, builds up the structure of his earthly life according to the Islamic low and employs it to subserve his fait”.

Also about the knowledge we learn, he explicitly expounded that, “The source of knowledge, according to the Islamic concept, fall into two categories:
a) Devine revelation where Allah teaches that man cannot, by him self, be rightly guided to the divine truth and that life cannot be regulated in the proper manner in the absence of stable and unchangeable injunctions inspired by Allah, the wise and the all-knowing whose knowledge encompasses all.
b) The human intellect and its tools which are constant interaction with the physical universe on the levels of observation, contemplation, experimentation and application. Man s free to do as he pleases subject to the condition that he remains fully committed to the Qur’an and the Islamic low.
Therefore, the curriculum of education in boarding school surely contains the various activities in all aspect that become unity of curriculum which certainly can’t be separated. It manages the life of students for the sole purpose of achieving the aim of education and instruction wanted. And it’s wise to say, “The totality of activities which has the value of education in various aspects till what are seen, heard, felt, experienced by students are education”.
4) Aspect of Methodology
Methodology is the crucial thing in an education. If there are curriculums neatly codified but the methods of teaching are disorder, it will never achieve the wanted aim. And the soul of teacher is also absolutely become determinant factor in this case, for it was obvious that teacher who has high idealism and who is just pragmatism will surely produce the different outputs. In view of the duties of teachers is neither merely transferring knowledge nor transmitting one, ever it’s more than that, the teachers ought to transform student’s personality and mental attitude, when matters above are achieved, the ideal education undoubtedly will occurred.
The methodology aspects which are practiced in Gontor consists of the good model (example), conditioning, directing, giving an assignment, awareness, and instruction. That all truly describes that either step of leadership management or organizing of boarding school involve stakeholder, (student boarding school, parents, teachers, the functionaries of boarding school, head master of boarding school and his families), the approved things is not merely level of Kiai’s wisdom but a good model (example) is verily significant to be imitated.
It was apparent that Management in Gontor is truly qualified, if there is question, “how great the role of boarding school in endorsing the System of National Education (SISDIKNAS)?”. Let’s stare at the constitution number 2 at the year 1989 pertaining to the System of National Education (SISDIKNAS). First, education in conscious attempt and it’s planned, second, as an implementation of circle of study and learning process till the student can actively improve their personalities (cognitive, affective, psychomotor). Third, learning process which is available on certain stripe, level, and kinds of certain education. Fourth, the devotion of educated-manpower based on religion, social, culture, aspiration, potencies of society, as an implementation of aim of education it’s self from the society, by them, and for them.
The general certainty of education is in fact summarized in the standard of national education which consists of contents of education/ instruction, process, manpower of education, means and equipment, management, feeing, and evaluation of education that ought to be continually executed. But unfortunately, the government just endorses and accredits the boarding school in this recent days, the government pays attention to the boarding school for their self-reliance, and produced the success outputs on accordance with the aim of System of National Education (Sisdiknas). Some of education activists desperately complain for this occurrence.
The essence of autonomy of education is a trust given to the societies in order to manage some education and they are directly involved, such as, leader, teachers, students, and parents. They will surely know more concerning the needs and the real ability of student and the real needs of school. The aspect of management which becomes a target of autonomy comprises the education and instruction, financing, means and equipment, and human resources.
e. The Advantages of Modern Islamic Boarding-School Management
The managment of Modern Islamic Boarding-School is more effective particularly in producing the output with high quality, if its implementation is truly qualified (there are human framework, curriculum framework, resources framework, and accountability framework) and on account of Boarding School-Based Management has the same framework with the School-Based Management, it will definitely has indifferent excellences with School-Based Management.
There are some quotation form Edmon. Umaidi as they argued that the character of this management are:
1) Circle of boarding school will be save and order,
2) Boarding school possesses visions and target that will be achieved,
3) Boarding school has the strong leadership,
4) There is high expectation from boarding school personnel (head master, teacher, and another one includes students in order to have the good achievement,
5) There is developing of boarding school staffs incessantly on accordance with the demand of science, knowledge and technology (IPTEK),
6) There is some evaluation which is done ceaselessly particularly pertaining to the aspect of academic and administrative, and utilizing it’s result for enhancing the quality,
7) There is communication and intensive support from the society.