Nyai leadership: The role of women in maintaining the tradition of santri literacy in islamic boarding schools
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35719/annisa.v18i1.319The issue addressed in this study is the limited understanding of the role of Nyai’s leadership in preserving the literacy tradition among santri (Islamic boarding school students), particularly regarding their strategies, challenges, and contributions in maintaining the continuity of Islamic intellectual culture within traditional educational settings. This study also aims to understand how Bu Nyai’s leadership influences the development of santri literacy, what efforts are undertaken by Bu Nyai to promote literacy among santri, and which factors support success in this context. The literacy tradition in Islamic boarding schools is an essential factor in shaping the students’ character and intellectual capacity. Using a qualitative descriptive approach, data were collected through in-depth interviews and participatory observations involving Bu Nyai, santri, and the boarding school administrators. This study concludes that Bu Nyai democratic, visionary, and transformative leadership effectively fostered a culture of literacy among students. Her strategies included literacy programs, student publications, discussions, an active library, and consistent policies. Direct guidance, integration of spiritual, socio-academic, and documentation practices fostered creativity, independence, and a sustainable literacy tradition, emphasizing the central role of female leadership in Islamic boarding school education. This research contributes by demonstrating the effectiveness of female leadership in fostering literacy in Islamic boarding schools. The findings emphasize the importance of structured strategies, direct guidance, and the integration of spiritual-social-academic values, as well as documentation practices, as leadership models that can serve as references for developing a culture of literacy and character education in Islamic educational institutions.
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