TAZAKKA Modern Islamic Boarding School

(Pondok Modern TAZAKKA)

A. Introduction

TAZAKKA Modern Islamic Boarding School is a pondok modern—a modified type of

traditional Muslim educational institution (pesantren) existing in Indonesia before its
establishment as a republic in 1945, combining the traditional Islamic Sciences
conventionally taught in pesantrens with Modern Sciences taught in state-run schools.
It is administered modernly, suiting the modern standard of educational management
and administration. It is a very conducive place for learning and training to be millenial
Muslim leaders, future Muslim scholars and Muslim intellectuals who have noble
character, able body, broad knowledge and independent mind.

Pondok Modern TAZAKKA is located at Sidayu City, Bandar District, Batang Regency,
Central Java, Indonesia. The area is surrounded by green hills and it has a very fresh
and clean environment. The boarding school, standing on 10 acre land, is a fully
private Islamic school. Since 2009, the school has been officially endowed by its
founding fathers as a Waqf for the community (ummah). It is registered at the Office
of Ministry of Religious Affairs in Batang, with the registration number:
Kd.11.25/5/PP.00.7/2200/2013. The boarding school has been open for students
since 2013. In 2016 the Islamic boarding school had officially achieved equal status
recognition (mu’adalah) from the State. The Letter of Equal Recognition signed by the
Director-General of Islamic Education of the Ministry of Religious Affairs decreed that
the status of Pondok Modern TAZAKKA as equal as the prevalent Madrasah
Tsanawiyah (State Islamic Junior High School) and Madrasah Aliyah (State Islamic
Senior High School).

TAZAKKA administers two educational programs:

1. Teachers’ Training College (Kulliyatul Mu’allimin al-Islamiyyah). It is a six-year
school whose level equals Junior High School and Senior High School
combined in one. The school aims at training students to be Muslim teachers,
equipped with leadership skills, managerial skills, academic skills, and life skills.
It adopts Pondok Modern Gontor’s educational system in terms of its
educational level, curriculum, activities and various educational and learning
programs. The student number reaches 560 to date.
2. Taman Pendidikan Quran Al-Asyraf. It is a non-formal school for elementary
schoolers interested in learning, memorizing, and understanding Quran. It is
free of charge and its number of student reaches 175 to date.

To support learning and teaching process in the school, TAZAKKA provides sports
facilities and educational facilities. Sports facilities are three football fields, one
basketball field, and archery ground. Educational facilities are a computer center,
a media center, a library that houses 20,000 books, a studium generale auditorium,
and a mosque.

TAZAKKA students come from local area and some countries, such as Malaysia,
Thailand, Afghanistan, Taiwan, and Palestine.
 B. What is unique

Pondok Modern TAZAKKA combines the conventional school and the boarding
system. The conventional school only teaches students for 5 hours on week days,
while in TAZAKKA the school teaches students 24 hours everyday. Only on Fridays
the school does not have formal classes to attend, but students have co-curricular
activities and extra-curricular activities in order to train them life skills and leadership
skills.

TAZAKKA’s curriculum is never dichotomic; it never separates Islamic Sciences on

one hand and Modern Sciences on the other hand. It integrates the both sciences,
considering that the both sciences are important to be mastered by the students. The
curriculum is also never dichotomic in terms of conceptual knowledge and practical
application. What students learn in classrooms in the mornings are practiced rigidly by
them in their real life in their boarding dormitories in the rest 19 hours.

Pondok Modern TAZAKKA’s cutting-edge features:

 Multiple intelligence-based education
 Bilingual (Arabic and English languages) medium of teaching and learning in
classrooms
 Bilingual medium of communication between students and teachers
 24-hour activities, combining activities in classrooms, in dorms, in sports clubs,
in after-school clubs.
 Rigid discipline and rules designed to build strong, tough character of students.
 International atmosphere and globally-directed mind consciously created by
mingling of students of different countries within the same rooms in dormitories
without any forms of discrimination.
 Upon the completion of the program, students receives diploma certificates
accredited by state universities domestically and University of Al-Azhar Cairo
Egypt.
 It is famous for its Waqf and Zakat Study Center, innovating some kinds of Waqf
(Islamic endowment system). Its Waqf management and administration is
exemplary among other pesantrens.
 Two international standardized tests. To be graduates, students must pass
through two international standardized tests: TOEFL ITP and Arabic Online
Test. TOEFL ITP is administered by ETS based in Pennsylvania, USA, while
Arabic Online Test by Saudi Electronic University (SEU) Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
TOEFL ITP is to test students’ mastery of English language, whereas Arabic
Online Test is to test students’ mastery of Arabic language.
 It is officially selected by Secretary of Vice President of Republic of Indonesia
to conduct a short course on Islam and Peace in Indonesia for overseas
students, as carried out for Afghan students in 2018.
Pondok Modern TAZAKKA instills and fosters in the minds of its students through
concepts and practices five distinctive values, called as “PANCA JIWA” (THE FIVE
VALUES), that is, Sincerity, Simplicity, Self-help, Islamic brotherhood, and Freedom.

All teaching and learning process, 24-hour boarding school curriculum, is intentionally
designed to train and teach students to be morally noble, able-bodied, knowledgeable,
and independent-minded.

Pondok Modern TAZAKKA contributes positively to the development of local Islamic

religious educational level and religiocity. There are four services that TAZAKKA does
for local community where it is located:
 Taman Pendidikan Al-Quran (TPQ) Al-Asyraf. This non-formal school is
dedicated to local elementary schoolers living around the pondok. TPQ teaches
them Quranic Sciences, Islamic Morality, and Arabic Language. It is free of
charge.
 Kelompok Bimbingan Ibadah Haji (KBIH) Muzdalifah. This program is to give
guidance and training for local people about how to perform Hajj in Mecca and
to accompany them during Hajj.
 Pengajian Kliwonan. This program is to teach Islamic teachings for local people,
conducted every Friday based on Javanese calendar (Kliwon). This program is
followed by communal eating of big meals.
 Pengajian Ahad Pagi. Just like Pengajian Kliwonan, it is for local people and to
teach Islamic teachings, conducted every Sunday morning and followed by
communal eating of big meals.
 Kajian Islam Tematik. It is a thematic Islamic teaching program conducted
monthly for middle-level and high-level Muslims. It is more intellectual and more
academic in tone, discussing the latest issues and innovations in Islamic world
and national settings.

As a private Islamic educational institution, Pondok Modern TAZAKKA has its own
economic institutions:
 TAZKO POINT. It is a minimarket supervised by teachers and professionals
selling groceries. TAZAKKA has so far three TAZKO POINTS located in three
different districts.
 AHSAN RESTO. It is a fastfood restaurant supervised by teachers and
professionals selling fastfood and beverage.
 ROTI AHSAN. It is a bakery supervised by teachers and professionals selling
bread, cookies and delicacies.
 LANTABUR Stone Crusher. This company is engaged in crushing the stone
using the crushing machine producing gravel and rock dust. It gives profit and
benefit for the pondok too.
 TAZAKKA TELEPHONE EXCHANGE HOUSE. It provides telephone booths
for students to make a call to their parents.
  TAZAKKA MEDICAL CENTER (TMC). It serves students and surrounding
residents.

C. Priorities 2019 – 2020

Pondok Modern TAZAKKA has short-term development plans as follows:

 To build more dormitories for students who study in the coming two years.
 To build more classrooms for students who enrolls in the upcoming years.
 To improve academic quality of teachers by giving scholarships to teachers to
continue their study for Master’s Degree and Doctor’s Degree in domestic
universities and overseas universities.
 To create more business units (more TAZKO POINTs, more economic
innovations) so as to give more benefits for the pondok through cash Waqf.
 To encourage local people to self-help by creating some home industries.
 To develop teachers professionally by providing them professional trainings
and workshops.
 To build a pondok modern for girls around Pekalongan City.
 To build a university/a high school called “TAZAKKA UNIVERSITY”.
 To build a guesthouse called “TAZAKKA INN”.
 To improve prosperity level and living standard of families of the school stake-
holders and teachers by creating more business units and enterprises.
 To improve health of students by creating a school hospital.
 To make more innovations of Waqf
 To update school curriculum to suit millenial generation with millenial student-
friendly contents, integrating the 21st Century Skills and Global Citizenship
Skills into the existing curriculum.

D. Curriculum: Breadth and Depth

Broadly, Pondok Modern TAZAKKA’s curriculum is divided into three groups:

curricular subjects, co-curricular subjects and extra-curricular subjects.

Curricular subjects are taught within the mortar-brick walls of classrooms in the
mornings, while co-curricular subjects and extra-curricular subjects are taught and
trained through non-formal around-campus activities in and at their dormitories.

Curricular subjects in morning classes are divided into three groups of subject. First
group is Dirasah Islamiyah (Islamic Science Subjects); second group is Dirasah
Lughawiyah (Arabic Language and English Language Subjects); and third group is
Dirasah ‘Ammah (Modern Sciences Subjects).

The Dirasah Islamiyah (Islamic Sciences Subjects) taught to students are Quran
Recitation, Tajwid (Arabic Alphabet Pronunciation and Intonation), Quran Translation,
Quran Interpretation, Hadits, Musthalahul Hadits (Hadith Literature Studies), Fiqih
(Islamic Jurisprudence), Ushul Fiqih (Philosophy of Islamic Jurisprudence), Faraidh
(Inheritance Law), Tauhid (Theology), Dinul Islam (Islamic Civilization and Culture),
Muqaranatul Adyan (Comparative Religions), Mantiq (Islamic Logics), and Tarikh
Islam (History of Islam).

The Dirasah Lughawiyah comprises Imla’ (Arabic Dictation), Tamrinul Lughah (Arabic
Language Workbook), Insya’ (Arabic Essay Writing), Muthala’ah (Arabic Text
Reading), Nahwu (Arabic Grammar), Shorf (Arabic Conjugation), Balaghah (Arabic
Rethorics), Tarikh Adabil Lughah (Arabic Literature History), Mahfudzat (Arabic
Proverbs and Sayings), Khat (Arabic Calligraphy), English Text Reading, English
Grammar, English Dictation, and English Academic Writing.

The Dirasah ‘Ammah consists of Tarbiyah (Pedagogics and Didactics), General

Psychology, Educational Psychology, Bahasa Indonesia, Civics, Arithmetics, Maths,
Physics, Biology, Chemistry, Indonesian History, World History, Geography, World
Geography, Sociology, and Journalism.

The co-curricular subjects are taught and trained through activities outside classrooms
such as 5-time prayer service, Muwajjah (evening tutorial sessions), Arabic and
English afternoon classes, 3-language (Bahasa, Arabic and English) public speech
training, 3-language weekly students wall magazine, and Tahsin (betterment of Quran
recitation) and Tahfidz (memorization of Quran).

The extra-curricular subjects are trained through programs such as leadership skills
and managerial skills in students’ activity in joining a students’ body called “OPPM”
(TAZAKKA Students Organization), administration skills in running a Students’
Cooperative Store, Scouting, management skills and administration skills as well as
leadership skills in leading sports clubs, English language discussion clubs, science
clubs, and library readers club, and the like hobbies club. Students’ creativity and
innovation are also trained through their being steering committees and executive
committees of some school events, such as International Seminars, Folk Song
Contest, English Drama Contest, Arabic Drama Contest, Vocal Groups Contest,
English and Arabic Olympiad, Science Olympiad, Sunnah Festival, Sirah Exhibition,
Islamic Economic Fair, Journalism Short Course, and the like.

E. Community Links

 Official Member of Islamic Universities League (Rabithah Jami’at Islamiyyah)

based in Egypt.
 Official user of Arabic Online Test in partnership with Saudi Electronic
University (SEU) Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
 Official user of TOEFL ITP Test by ETS based in Pennsylvania USA in
partnership with UnisadhuGuna Testing Center (UTC) Jakarta Indonesia.
 Annual Arabic Language Teaching Seminars for teachers in partnership with
King Saud University.
 Annual Waqf Studies Seminars and Workshops for public and teachers in
partnership with University of Al-Azhar Cairo Egypt.
 Official member of Association of World Naqshbandi Sufi Groups, based in
Uzbekistan.
 Annual Visit to Grand Syaikh of Al-Azhar University Cairo Egypt.
 TAZAKKA’s Scholarship Scheme for 10 Palestinian students of Hebron City
every year, in agreement with Hebron City Major.
 TAZAKKA’s Scholarship Scheme for 2 Afghan students, in agreement with High
Peace Council (HPC) Kabul Afghanistan.
 A Short course on Islam and Peace in Indonesia for 41 Afghan young men and
women, in cooperation with High Peace Council (HPC) Kabul Afghanistan.

F. What TAZAKKA has been doing well

 Pondok Modern TAZAKKA has been building partnership with all schools the
world over through SchoolsOnline.com, administered by British Council of
Indonesia. All students and teachers can cooperate, collaborate, and work
together with all high schools in all parts of the world.
 Both Arabic language and English have been language of instruction, language
of communication, and language of students’ daily life. The two languages
teaching and learning are conducted well through whole school curriculum.
 Life skills, survival skills, multiple intelligence trainings, the 21st Century Skills
are trained and facilitated through co-curricular and extra-curricular subjects of
the school.
 Sports and hobbies are facilitated well for students. The school provides sports
facilities, sports clubs, karate club, science club, English discussion club, and
book readers club.
 Waqf and Zakat focus group discussions, trainings and workshops for public,
teachers and students are regularly conducted.
 Social responsibility programs and community Islamic teaching programs are
regularly conducted by the pondok for local Muslim society and communities.
 Building networks, cooperations, and partnerships with local governments,
local figures, local universities, international universities league, international
Sufi groups, international schools are continually done by the school.
 Improvement of living standard of families of the school’s stakeholders and
teachers are continually carried out by the school.
 Upgrading teachers teaching quality through teachers’ professional
development trainings and wokshops are regularly conducted by the school.
G. Areas of School Improvement
 The school curriculum keeps on improving, suited to the needs of millenials and
Generation Alpha.
 The school partnerships with European and American universities and schools
are always encouraged and improved. The email-to-email collaboration with
some British, Egyptian, Pakistani, French and German high schools should be
improved more.
 Acceptance of overseas students studying in the school should be multiplied
and increased more.
 Teachers’ quality and their professional development should be upgraded
through trainings and workshops
 Networks and partnerships with local governments, local universities, local
figures, international organizations, international schools, international
associations should be increased more.
 School facilities and school dorms keeps on increasing every year.
 Waqf innovations created by Waqf Study Center keep on innovating every year.

H. Any other information worth mentioning

 Pondok Modern TAZAKKA welcomes all kinds of educational partnerships,
cooperations and collabborations with European and American educational
institutions in terms of teachers’ teaching quality upgrading, teachers’ continual
professional development, and school improvement.
 Pondok Modern TAZAKKA welcomes all kinds of student exchange and
teacher exchange program in cooperation with European and American
schools.
 Pondok Modern TAZAKKA welcomes any curricular cooperations with
European and American institutions in order to improve the whole school
curriculum.
 Pondok Modern TAZAKKA welcomes any initiatives by European and
American educational institutions in order to provide students with language
course and intercultural understanding program, international citizenship skills
course, and the like.