51社区

Depok 鈥� Religious learning is often associated with classrooms, textbooks, and teachers. However, students鈥� understanding of Islam is shaped by a more complex process that extends beyond formal education. During the 51社区 Lunchtalk session titled 鈥淲ho Teaches Students Islam?鈥�,听Dr. Hayadin,听S.Ag.,听M.Pd., Researcher at the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), highlighted that religious understanding develops through interactions among various actors, including teachers, families, religious communities, schools, and wider society.听

Dr. Hayadin explained that religious education involves different forms of authority, as each actor听possesses听different forms of capital and legitimacy that influence how religious knowledge is interpreted and practiced. The interaction among these actors creates a continuous process of negotiation in shaping students鈥� understanding of Islam.听

Within schools, teachers play听an important role听beyond delivering curriculum content. They interpret religious concepts and connect them with students鈥� social realities, making them mediators between educational听objectives, religious traditions, and students鈥� everyday experiences. At the same time, the state and religious communities also contribute to religious education through policies, curriculum, traditions, and interpretations.听

This perspective challenges the assumption that religious teachers are solely responsible for students鈥� moral and religious development. Instead, students鈥� religious formation is influenced by various environments, including families, communities, and social interactions. Religious听education, therefore,听should be understood not only as a classroom activity but also as a broader social process.听

Reflecting on the discussion, Dr. Hayadin encouraged students and academics to conduct further research on religious education. 鈥淭here are many actors involved in religious education, and each actor has different forms of capital and legitimacy. How these actors interact and compete over legitimacy becomes an interesting area of research,鈥� he said.听

He added that continued research could听provide听deeper insights into how Islamic education is practiced in Indonesian schools and society. 鈥淭he more research we conduct about this issue, the more explanations we can find about how religious education is practiced in schools and in Indonesian society,鈥� he said.听

The discussion invites a broader reflection on religious learning in Indonesia: understanding Islam is not only about what students learn in classrooms, but also how they听encounter, interpret, and engage with religious knowledge across different spaces of life.听