Islamic education is a fundamental right in Islamic tradition for both women and men. However, in Afghanistan, women’s access to Islamic education has fluctuated across political regimes and has been severely restricted since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021. These restrictions have intensified debates about the relationship between Islamic doctrine, political authority, and women’s religious agency. This study aims to examine the evolution of women’s Islamic education in Afghanistan, identify contemporary opportunities and barriers to access, and explore how women contribute to transforming Islamic educational thought and practice in the post-2021 context. Using a qualitative exploratory design, the study draws on semi-structured interviews with seven women involved in Islamic education, as students, teachers, and religious educators, across Kabul, Herat, and Nangarhar, complemented by document analysis of policy reports, academic literature, and media sources. Data were analyzed thematically. The findings show that women’s Islamic education is shaped primarily by political regimes rather than Islamic doctrine. While formal access has declined sharply since 2021, women continue to engage in Islamic learning through informal, community-based, and limited digital initiatives. Women also play an active role in reshaping pedagogy and interpretation, emphasizing understanding, ethical reflection, and relevance to lived experience. The study highlights women’s agency and grassroots educational resilience, underscoring the need for offline-first, community-centered Islamic education strategies and greater support for female religious educators in Afghanistan.

Madrasa education constitutes a significant component of Pakistan’s educational landscape; however, its graduates often face persistent economic, social, and professional marginalization due to limited alignment between traditional curricula and contemporary societal demands. Despite their strong grounding in Islamic scholarship, many graduates struggle to access diverse employment opportunities and social mobility. This study aims to examine the economic, social, and professional challenges faced by madrasa graduates in Pakistan and to explore reform-oriented strategies that enhance their social inclusion and employability without compromising religious identity. Employing a mixed-methods design, data were collected through questionnaires administered to approximately 100 madrasa graduates affiliated with major religious boards across Pakistan, complemented by semi-structured interviews with graduates, educators, and madrasa administrators. Descriptive, analytical, and comparative approaches were used to identify recurring patterns and structural constraints. The findings reveal that curriculum rigidity, resistance from senior religious authorities, lack of vocational and technical training, and limited pedagogical innovation significantly hinder graduates’ integration into mainstream society and employment sectors. However, the study also identifies strong support for gradual curriculum reform, vocational skill integration, and targeted teacher professional development. The study concludes that transformative yet context-sensitive madrasa reforms, particularly the integration of skill-based education and modern pedagogical training, are essential for empowering graduates, reducing social stigma, and strengthening madrasas’ contribution to national development. These findings offer a replicable framework for madrasa reform in comparable Muslim-majority contexts.

Assessment in Islamic Religious Education (Pendidikan Agama Islam/PAI) plays a crucial role in fostering not only students’ cognitive achievement but also their practical religious skills and moral character. However, implementing holistic assessment across cognitive, psychomotor, and affective domains remains challenging within real school contexts. This study aims to examine barriers, strategies, and contextual factors influencing the implementation of PAI assessment at the junior secondary level. Employing a qualitative instrumental case study design, the study involved four PAI teachers at a public junior secondary school in Bandung, Indonesia. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and document analysis, and analyzed inductively using Miles and Huberman’s interactive model with source and method triangulation to ensure trustworthiness. The findings reveal that cognitive assessment is constrained by students’ heterogeneous abilities and limited instructional time; psychomotor assessment is challenged by uneven student readiness and insufficient foundational religious skills; while affective assessment is hindered by subjectivity, diverse student attitudes, and the absence of standardized assessment guidelines. These domain-specific challenges are further compounded by contextual factors such as weak Qur’anic literacy, limited parental support, student absenteeism, and conflicts with school agendas. Despite these obstacles, teachers adopted adaptive strategies including differentiated assessment, remedial support, peer tutoring, parental collaboration, and integration of assessment into daily religious practices. The study concludes that effective PAI assessment requires a holistic, adaptive, and collaborative approach that integrates all learning domains while remaining sensitive to socio-religious and institutional contexts. The findings highlight implications for teacher professional development, refinement of assessment rubrics, and supportive school policies to strengthen sustainable and authentic PAI assessment practices.

Inclusive education extends beyond physical access to schooling and requires meaningful social participation among all learners, including students with special needs. In Islamic elementary schools, inclusive practices are further shaped by religious values that emphasize compassion, justice, and collective responsibility. However, empirical evidence remains limited on how social interactions are enacted in everyday classroom life and how teacher support operates within faith-based inclusive settings. This study aims to examine how social interactions between students with special needs and their peers manifest in inclusive Islamic elementary schools and to analyze the role of teacher support in shaping the form, quality, and sustainability of these interactions. Using a qualitative ethnographic approach, data were collected over six months through participant observation, in-depth interviews with teachers, students, and parents, and document analysis in three inclusive Islamic elementary schools in Kartasura, Indonesia. Data analysis followed the Miles and Huberman interactive model, involving data reduction, data display, and conclusion drawing. The findings reveal that social interaction is highly context dependent, with more frequent and reciprocal engagement occurring during structured learning activities, while unstructured situations such as recess remain vulnerable to social exclusion. Teacher support emerged as a decisive factor in fostering inclusion through emotional reassurance, instructional scaffolding, and social mediation, particularly when grounded in Islamic values such as rahmah (compassion), cooperation, and moral responsibility. The study concludes that teachers function as key agents of social inclusion in Islamic elementary schools, and that culturally grounded, sustained teacher support is essential for strengthening peer acceptance and meaningful participation. These findings offer important implications for teacher preparation, inclusive pedagogy, and policy development in faith-based educational contexts.

The rapid advancement of Artificial Intelligence in Education (AIEd) has generated growing expectations for improving learning quality. However, evidence suggests that technological innovation alone is insufficient without adequate teacher competence, particularly in value-based and religious education contexts. This study investigates the effects of Artificial Intelligence in Education and teacher competence on learning quality in Buddhist Religious Education schools in Lampung Province, Indonesia, an underrepresented educational setting characterized by limited institutional resources and digital infrastructure. Employing a quantitative survey design, data were collected through validated questionnaires administered to all 76 Buddhist school teachers in the province using a census sampling technique. Multiple linear regression analysis was applied to examine both partial and simultaneous relationships among Artificial Intelligence, teacher competence, and learning quality. The findings indicate that Artificial Intelligence in Education has a significant positive effect on learning quality when analyzed independently. Teacher competence, encompassing pedagogical, professional, and digital dimensions, also shows a strong and significant influence on learning quality. However, when both variables are analyzed simultaneously, teacher competence emerges as the dominant predictor, while the direct effect of Artificial Intelligence becomes statistically non-significant. This suggests that the educational value of AI is largely contingent upon teachers’ competencies in integrating technology into meaningful instructional practices. The study concludes that Artificial Intelligence functions as an instructional support tool rather than an independent driver of learning improvement. These findings underscore the importance of aligning technological innovation with continuous teacher professional development to achieve sustainable improvements in learning quality within religious education contexts.

This study investigates how educational management is practiced within Islamic institutions by integrating conceptual analysis with qualitative field data from selected madrasas and Islamic universities in Pakistan. Although educational management in Islamic institutions has been widely discussed theoretically, there remains a lack of empirical studies that examine how administrators and teachers actually implement Islamic values in day-to-day management practices, which creates an important gap in the literature. Drawing on qualitative multiple-case study, data were gathered through semi-structured interviews with administrators (n = 12) and teachers (n = 18) and supported by a review of institutional documents. The study explores how values such as amanah, shūrā, and ihsan shape leadership behaviour, curriculum decisions, and responses to digital transformation. Thematic analysis reveals that management processes often rely on traditional authority structures and limited strategic planning, and that digital innovation is acknowledged as important yet constrained by inadequate resources. Participants also expressed the ongoing tension between preserving religious authenticity and meeting modern educational demands. Overall, the findings highlight the need for a professionalized and ethically grounded management model that reflects Islamic principles while responding effectively to contemporary educational challenges, and the study proposes an integrated leadership framework to support institutional sustainability and innovation.

This study critically reviews the ethics and challenges of Artificial Intelligence (AI) implementation in education in Indonesia, addressing a significant research gap concerning comprehensive, context-specific, and management-focused analyses. The primary purpose is to identify ethical dilemmas and practical challenges in AI integration within Indonesian educational settings and propose pragmatic solutions. Employing a descriptive qualitative approach with a critical literature review design, the study systematically analyzed academic literature and policy documents from Scopus, Google Scholar, and ERIC, published between 2020 and 2024. Data were meticulously analyzed using content and thematic analysis. Key findings reveal that while AI offers substantial potential for personalized learning and efficiency, its adoption in Indonesia is significantly hindered by pressing ethical concerns, including student data privacy vulnerabilities, the pervasive threat of algorithmic bias, and challenges to academic integrity. These ethical issues are compounded by substantial infrastructural disparities, particularly in remote regions, and a widespread deficit in digital literacy among educators and students. Furthermore, the research highlights critical educational management and policy gaps, characterized by a lack of comprehensive national strategies, clear institutional guidelines, and robust accountability mechanisms. The study concludes that successful AI integration in Indonesian education necessitates a holistic, integrated, and values-driven strategic management approach, emphasizing ethical governance, extensive capacity building, and robust policy formulation to ensure AI enhances human dignity and educational quality rather than exacerbating existing inequalities.

The integration of online learning applications has become an indispensable innovation in 21st-century education. Platforms such as Zoom, Google Classroom, Microsoft Teams, and Canvas have facilitated internet-based learning, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the extent to which students adopt and effectively use these tools remains uneven. This study investigated undergraduate students’ awareness, perceived ease of use, and self-efficacy in using online learning applications across universities in Oyo State, Nigeria. A descriptive survey design was employed, involving 270 undergraduate students selected through simple random sampling from three purposively chosen universities. Data were collected using a researcher-designed questionnaire, validated and tested for reliability (Cronbach’s Alpha = 0.76). Descriptive statistics (mean scores) and inferential statistics (independent sample t-test) were used for data analysis. Findings revealed that students’ awareness of online learning applications was high (M = 2.64), and their perceived ease of use was positive (M = 2.63). However, their self-efficacy in using these applications was low (M = 1.90), indicating a gap between recognition and confident usage. This suggests that despite being familiar with digital platforms, many students still lack the confidence and skills needed to navigate them effectively. No significant gender difference was found in students’ self-efficacy levels (p = .42, p > .05). The study concludes that while awareness and perceived usability are encouraging, students' confidence in using online learning tools remains inadequate. It recommends enhanced access to digital infrastructure and targeted capacity-building workshops to improve self-efficacy and maximize the benefits of online learning.

The ability to design learning plans is a skill that every educator must have. The Dick and Carey model is a design approach that offers a systematic and structured process, in accordance with the competencies needed in Islamic Religious Education (PAI) learning. This research implements a field research model with a descriptive qualitative approach. This research was conducted at SDN 258 Voluntary Bandung City which aimed to see the results of the implementation of the Dick and Carey model in the development of PAI learning in elementary schools. The research data was obtained from interviews with Islamic Religious Education teachers and students. Observations were made on the implementation of the Dick and Carey model in the PAI learning process. Documentation in the form of a review of teaching modules. Analysis techniques include data reduction, data verification and conclusions. The results of the study stated the steps applied in the implementation at SDN 258 Voluntary including first, identifying learning objectives Second, conducting teaching analysis. Third, identify data on students' behavior and their personalities. Fourth, describe the purpose of performance. Fifth, formulate benchmark reference test items. Sixth, use relevant learning strategies. Seventh, sort and develop teaching materials. Eighth, designing and developing formative evaluations in the form of teaching and learning activities. Ninth, revise the learning program.

The Islamic concept of wasatiyyah is reflected in the Qur’an that states the Muslim community as ummatan wasatan. It means that Muslim should be in the middle path in many aspects of live, which avoid from the extremist and neglecting. In doing so, education plays a significant role to promote the concept of wasatiyyah. However, its neglected from the teaching and learning of Islamic education. This study aimed to explore the implementation of wasatiyyah course in Universitas Islam Internasional Indonesia. The study conducted qualitatively with a case study research design in investigating students’ perspectives on the wasatiyyah course. A total of four participants from different faculties and countries are participated in this study. The data was collected through semi-structured interview and analyzed with the Miles and Huberman framework. Overall, the result of the study shows that student perceive positively towards the course of wasatiyyah Islam. In addition, the study also demonstrates students’ reflection on the practice of the concept wasatiyyah in plural context. Hence, it recommended reimaging the concept of wasatiyyah in Islamic universities by implementing the idea into course subject to promote the tolerance and harmony within the diversity