Modernisation of Dayah in Aceh

Dayah is the oldest Islamic education institution in Aceh. It has contributed not only to teaching Islamic studies but also struggling against the Dutch in the colonial era. This paper describes and summarises the development and modernisation of dayah in Aceh from the 10th to 21st centuries. The study employed a qualitative method through field observation and personal interviews. A historical approach to document analysis was also used to describe the history of modernisation in such aspects as vision and mission, curriculum, learning methods, teachers, students, infrastructure, and evaluation system of dayah. It concluded that the vision of modern dayah is not only to teach students fiqh (jurisprudence) but also 'ulūmul Qur'an (knowledge of the Qur'an), 'ulūmul hadīth (knowledge of hadith), politics, state administration, foreign languages and technological literacy. Dayah also produces Islamic character in graduates such as honesty, leadership, brotherhood, modesty, generosity and tolerance. The teaching process in dayah has also been transformed from being conventional into contemporary problem-based learning, exploration, hands-on practices, cooperative learning, presentations, discussions and seminars.