PONOROGO – Islamic boarding schools (Pondok Pesantren) are regarded as highly strategic and pivotal institutions for the nation. Their historical and ongoing contributions to the country are beyond question.

This sentiment was expressed by the Minister of Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions (Mendes PDT), Yandri Susanto, during the launching ceremony of the Agrotourism Demonstration Village and the Sekolah Wakaf Berkah Indonesia (Indonesian Blessed Waqf School) at University of Darussalam (Unida) Gontor on Wednesday (July 8, 2026).

"The commitment of Islamic boarding schools is unquestionable, especially Gontor, which is widely renowned both domestically and internationally," Minister Yandri stated.

Minister Yandri invited Unida to collaborate in rural development, primarily to uplift approximately 9,300 disadvantaged villages out of a total of 75,266 villages across Indonesia.

Under the administration of President Prabowo Subianto, the 6th Asta Cita (Aspiration) was established: "Building from the Village and from the Bottom-Up for Economic Equality and Poverty Eradication."

"We have translated this Asta Cita into the '12 Strategic Actions to Build Villages, Build Indonesia,'" Minister Yandri added.

Among these 12 Strategic Actions are the development of Village-Owned Enterprises (BUMDesa), the Merah Putih Village Cooperative, and local food security through the establishment of Thematic Villages.

Additionally, the initiatives encompass Tourism Villages and Export Villages, noting that Indonesian villages are currently capable of directly exporting local commodities to 49 destination countries.

Minister Yandri invited the Gontor Foundation and Unida to partner with the Ministry by designating specific fostered villages. These villages will be guided based on their local potentials to become raw material suppliers for the flagship Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program or for international export.
 

"I urge university students to shift their mindset from merely seeking employment to actively creating job opportunities for the wider public," Minister Yandri remarked.

Regarding the Merah Putih Village Cooperative (Kopdes), Minister Yandri explained that the program is currently in the stage of constructing warehouses and retail outlets, alongside finalizing operational preparations.

Nevertheless, these cooperatives can already collaborate with local MSMEs and village-made products. Crucially, the cooperative workforce is strictly mandated to be recruited from local village residents.

The Merah Putih Kopdes, BUMDesa, and Thematic Villages are collectively expected to serve as vital instruments in achieving nationwide economic equality.

"To achieve this, strong collaboration is required. We at the Ministry are deploying an Octahelix Collaboration framework that extensively involves various stakeholders, including academic institutions," Minister Yandri emphasized.

The eight sectors involved in this Octahelix Collaboration—such as universities, mass media, civil society organizations, and the business sector—must move in tandem to guarantee that rural development progresses with optimal results.

Minister Yandri expressed his strong conviction that if Islamic boarding schools actively participate in village building, these goals can be swiftly realized. He noted that villages currently heavily rely on the moral guidance of boarding schools, especially as challenges like narcotics and illegal online gambling have begun infiltrating rural areas.

Following the main event, Minister Yandri toured the MSME Bazaar and mass circumcision event, which were organized as part of the Gontor Islamic Boarding School's Centennial (100th Anniversary) celebration.

The high-profile gathering was also attended by the leaders of the Gontor Islamic Boarding School KH Hasan Abdullah Sahal and KH Akrim Mariyat, Deputy Governor of Bank Indonesia Destry Damayanti, Rector of Unida Hamid Fahmy Zarkasyi, Chairman of the Unida Gontor Foundation Mulyono Jamal, Chairman of the Unida Senate Ahmad Hidayatullah, Vice-Rectors, and Unida students.

Accompanying Minister Yandri from the Ministry were the Director General of Village and Rural Development (PDP) Nugroho Setijo Nagoro, Head of the Information Development Agency (BPI) Mulyadin Malik, and Special Staff Member M. Afif Zamroni.

Photo: Taufik/Kemendes PDT 
Text: Firman/Kemendes PDT