PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore, find and formulate a mechanism and strategy in social process in Dayah, which can be developed to be a model of new social process applied in public school.Design/methodology/approachThe main objective of this research was to examine the strategy and mechanism of social reproduction in Dayah. The strategy and mechanism of social reproduction in public schools were also observed for comparison. The public schools were high school or vocational high school equivalent to the class in Dayah Mudi Mesra. The selected high schools as the object of comparison were SMAN 1 Samalanga and SMAN 2 Tanjungan, Samalanga. The selected public schools were public schools with similar sociological and psychological background and culture with Dayah Samalanga. This study is a social study using a qualitative approach with phenomenological design. The method used is the case study method; case studies are used as a comprehensive explanation related to the various aspects of a person, group, organization, program, or community situation that is studied, attempted and explored as deeply as possible.FindingsDayah with Islamic culture promises an effective social movement in Acehnese society. Dayah potential power was on the agents or social actor as the initiators of the idea of the creation of a network of social movements among Dayahs in Aceh. The stages of the creation of a social movement until movement crystallization can be modelled by utilizing their expert elite agents that are owned by Dayah in Aceh which is the intellectual elites and clerical elites. In addition, Dayah is a form of Acehnese local wisdom in education and religion that enables social movements to walk more naturally, democratically and educationally. Dayah ability related to Islamic culture as a broader social movement even has been tested at the level of the state and the nation of Indonesia. It is indicated by the creation of democratic process in Indonesia, which is activated by a community of Islam with democratic values as religion doctrine. As social movements, religious communities are able to construct perceptions, thoughts and attitudes in the lower class in response to the post-Suharto democratic change. Collins mentioned that social movements, which are derived from Islamic organizations, are able to show their presence at the local and national level.Originality/valueThe sociological wisdom is its unique social process. Based on preliminary studies, social processes in Dayah are closely related to the cosmopolitan value of Islam. This cosmopolitan value appears in the social order in the Dayah subculture, which appears to be more open to the role of the individual in society as an agent who can achieve a new social class. In this case, Dayah education can be a counter attack against negative social reproduction trends in general education.