The Development and Adaptation of the Pondok Schools in the Khlong Saen Saeb Area of Bangkok

Abstract

          This research aims to study the development and adaptation of the Pondok schools in the Khlong Saen Saeb area of Bangkok.  The data were obtained through documentary research and in-depth interviews with experts. The researcher focused mainly on primary documents, namely, government documents or commemorative books that present the history of the school while the experts comprised individuals with deep knowledge regarding the background of the traditional Pondok.
           The research found that the model of Pondok schools in the Khlong Saen Saeb area are similar to that of the Pondok institution in southern Boder provinces of Thailand. This similarity may be due to the fact that Malay-Muslim immigrants, who migrated from Pattani to Bangkok in B.E. 2329, carried with them their cultural identity. One key aspect of that identity was the establishment of a space for the pursuit of knowledge as a way of life. That educational institution was the Pondok. The emergence of the Pondok in the Khlong Saen Saeb area shared a similar origin to that in Pattani. In essence, when a knowledgeable individual, whose role was to disseminate knowledge, became prominent, learners tended to gather at his house. Subsequently, a Pondok institution was established in the vicinity of that residence. Over time, these houses gradually developed into the Pondok. Actually, Pondok schools in the Khlong Saen Saeb area of Bangkok do not operate under the regulations of the Ministry of Education concerning Pondok institutions, because they are governed under the Private School Act as non-formal religious schools. Nevertheless, people commonly refer to these institutions by the name “Pondok School.”  At present, there are four operational Pondok schools there, namely, 1. Miftahul Uloom Diniah School in Watthana; 2. Ridwanun Islam School in Bang Kapi; 3.Maso Hatutdin 2 School in Saphan Sung; and 4. Madrasat al-Dirasah al-Diniyah School in Nong Chok. An examination of the adaptive models of the Pondok schools in this area reveals that these institutions have had to adjust in response to shifts in economic conditions, societal changes, and government policies, as well as modifications in the education systems of foreign countries particularly in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Malaysia. Where majority of Pondok’s personnel have been educated.