Abstract
<p>Malaysia witnessed the rise of Islamic education more than a century ago, partly evidenced by the establishment of traditional Islamic education institutions called pondok or madrasah. Starting in the nineteenth century, Islamic pondok schools spread in Malaysia, founded by ‘ulama (Islamic scholars) who gained financial support from the community. As time went by, many pondok, previously supported by civil society, began to face financial difficulties because of the changing political landscape, economic situation, the death of their founders, and changes in government policy. This paper investigates the experiences of two madrasahs in the state of Kelantan in Malaysia and the strategies they have adopted to resolve their financial issues. This paper argues decisions and strategies regarding financing were influenced by several factors, including the degree of attachment felt by the current asatidz (teachers) to the history of their pondok, their desire to preserve the legacy of the madrasah founder, and the level of economic pressure they experienced. The primary choice was between relinquishing ownership to the state by becoming a state (funded) school or remaining a self-governed school with limited access to state funds. </p>
Highlights
Malaysia is the second largest Muslim country in Southeast Asia
The students stayed in dormitories during their studies, frequently visiting the mosque located in the pondok complex and regularly meeting with their mentors or teachers, who lived in the dwellings around the pondok complex
Kelantan has been of particular interest to political parties in Malaysia, to Islamic parties such as the PAS (The Malaysian Islamic Party), through which pondok schools channel their political aspirations, and to the UMNO, which has attempted to increase its patronage and influence in the state
Summary
Malaysia is the second largest Muslim country in Southeast Asia. It has witnessed the development of Islamic schools for more than a century. Our observations and conversations with the Islamic teachers working in the two pondoks suggest that the economic and political shift in Kelantan, as well as the changing nature of the relationship between the state and civil society in financing Islamic education, have led these two madrasahs (Madrasah Al-Rahmaniah Pondok Lubuk Tapah and SMA Darul Anuar) to adopt different strategies to survive. Once an Islamic school decides to be part of the government’s financial scheme, there are some consequences: They must follow government rules that may not align with long-held pondok traditions In countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand, madrasahs and pondoks are maintained through the active involvement of civil society in educating the community (Liow, 2009; Pohl, 2006). The cohesion among teachers, the vision of the leaders, and the relationship between the madrasah and the community appear to be the determining factors influencing whether or not the madrasah leaders decide to entrust their institution to state agencies or keep their autonomy in the face of financial hardship
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