National Santri Day: The Palace Highlights Pesantren as a Key Pillar in Nation Building

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Minister of State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi, representing President of Indonesia Prabowo Subianto, extended congratulations on the commemoration of National Santri Day 2026 to all santri, kiais, nyais, caretakers of pesantren, and the broader pesantren community across Indonesia.

Prasetyo stated that pesantren are an important pillar in nation-building.

“Thus, the spirit is how we can together maintain and strengthen pesantren as one of the crucial pillars in building the nation,” Prasetyo said in a statement on Thursday (22/10/2026).

The government also aims to ensure that santri have increasing opportunities to learn, grow, and contribute.

“We want santri to continually progress, further develop, and eventually provide even greater service to the community, nation, and state,” he added.

According to him, the role of pesantren has been proven since before Indonesia's independence up to the present day.

Therefore, the government continues to provide support for the advancement of pesantren, both in terms of educational quality, santri development, and institutional strengthening.

One manifestation of this commitment is through the Ministry of Religious Affairs, which has established the Directorate General of Pesantren to enhance governance and services for pesantren.

“What we hope for is how all pesantren can continue to develop into educational environments that are good, safe, comfortable, and dignified for santri. This is our shared concern, and the government will continue to strive for necessary improvements and strengthening,” he explained.

For Prasetyo, pesantren are not only places for religious learning but also centers for character building.

He stressed that the Head of State has significant attention toward pesantren.

“The President has great attention towards pesantren. We all understand that pesantren are not just places for religious education, but also venues for character development, instilling national values, and educating the youth to have concern and responsibility toward their community and country,” Prasetyo stated.