Indonesia’s Oldest Islamic Education Department Celebrates 69th Anniversary with Constitutional Policy Forum
JAKARTA, UIN Online News – The Undergraduate Islamic Education (PAI) Study Program under the Faculty of Educational Sciences (FITK) at UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta celebrated its 69th Anniversary by staging a national educational symposium and an executive student productivity award gala. The multi-tiered anniversary framework was convened at the Prof. Zakiyah Daradjat Theater Auditorium on Tuesday, June 23, 2026.
The academic assembly was attended by the Vice Dean for Student Affairs and Institutional Cooperation of FITK, Salamah Agung, alongside PAI Department Chair Suwendi, and Department Secretary Ridhollah.
The Chair of the PAI Department, Suwendi, asserted that the program officially operates as the oldest statutory Islamic education study program in the history of state Islamic higher education in Indonesia. According to his analysis, the department's deep historical roots are permanently linked with the founding of the State Academy for Religious Officials (ADIA) on June 1, 1957.
“The PAI program was the foundational academic department born concurrently with the establishment of ADIA by the Ministry of Religious Affairs. This institution was engineered from its inception to breed certified religious specialists tasked with structuring the national education networks across Indonesia,” Suwendi explained.
He traced the institutional chronology where ADIA merged into the State Islamic Higher Education Institution (PTAIN) in 1960, subsequently evolving into the State Institute for Islamic Studies (IAIN) Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta in 1963, before ultimately securing full research university status as UIN Jakarta on May 20, 2002.
“Our internal database indicates that for the Spring Semester of the 2025/2026 Academic Year, the volume of active enrollment reached 948 students. In addition to our historical legacy, the program continuously maintains the premier national 'UNGGUL' Accreditation alongside verified international academic certifications,” he added.
To anchor its 69th anniversary within active civic discourse, the department staged a high-profile educational seminar titled “Dissecting the Allocation of Educational Budgets for the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) Program: Quo Vadis Education in Indonesia.” The policy panel integrated three prominent national experts:
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M. Fawwaz Farhan Farabi: Former Chairman of BEM FH UI and lead judicial counsel for the MBG funding litigation at the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Indonesia.
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M. Zaki Mubarak, Ph.D.: Senior Political Scientist at the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (FISIP) UIN Jakarta.
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Ubaidillah Matroji: National Coordinator of the Indonesian Network for Education Watch (JPPI) and expert witness during the MBG Constitutional Court trials.
Addressing the forum, Suwendi emphasized that academic departments must never decouple their operations from current socioeconomic crises. He cited the philosophical frameworks of Paulo Freire regarding education as an active process of human liberation achieved through dialogue, critical consciousness, and societal transformation.
“Academic institutions must aggressively engage in dialogue with contemporary federal problems. If scholarship is strictly restricted within physical classroom boundaries, education completely loses its transformational utility,” Suwendi stated firmly.
He explained that the controversial re-routing of the federal education budget to fund the multi-trillion rupiah Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) program has triggered extensive public polemics that demand strict data-backed academic audits, specifically regarding the long-term fiscal sustainability of national educational development.
The 69th Anniversary concluded with an executive ceremony honoring seven undergraduate candidates evaluated as the most productive student researchers and achievers of 2026 across both academic and non-academic matrices.
Within the Academic Research Category, premium accolades were conferred to Siti Dian Nurfitri, Nurul Hafidoh, Salsa Maulida Handayani, and Aidah Mutmainnah Nst. The student researchers were recognized for their verified output in international peer-reviewed scientific journals, book publications, public media opinions, and structured civic mission engagement.
Concurrently, within the Non-Academic Category, institutional awards were presented to Joevanka Anwar, Nuraini, and Khadijah Al Fatih Rachmat to honor their strategic championship victories across local, national, and international tournaments.
This merit-based recognition operates as a formal tool by the PAI Department to foster a highly competitive, publication-driven research culture among undergraduates, cementing UIN Jakarta's position as an adaptive leader in global Islamic education.