The Relevance of the KMI Curriculum at Pondok Pesantren Darussalam Kunir to Community Needs and Graduate Competence

Abstract

This study evaluates the relevance of the KMI curriculum at Pondok Pesantren Darussalam Kunir to community needs and graduate competence. While prior studies have examined pesantren curricula from institutional or pedagogical perspectives, limited research has assessed curriculum relevance based on the alignment between graduate outcomes and stakeholder expectations. This study employs a mixed-methods concurrent triangulation design, combining survey data from 100 graduates and 50 graduate users with qualitative data from interviews and focus group discussions involving pesantren leaders, teachers, alumni, and community stakeholders. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, while qualitative data were examined through thematic analysis. The findings indicate that graduates demonstrate strong religious competence (80%), communication skills, and work ethics (75%), reflecting the effectiveness of the curriculum in fostering core pesantren values. However, technical and analytical skills remain comparatively weaker (65%), suggesting a gap between curriculum outcomes and labor market demands. The study highlights the need to strengthen employability-oriented competencies, particularly in digital literacy and problem-solving. These findings contribute to the discourse on curriculum relevance in religious education by offering an outcome-based evaluation of pesantren curricula grounded in multi-stakeholder perspectives.

ABSTRAK

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengevaluasi relevansi kurikulum KMI di PP. Darussalam Kunir terhadap kebutuhan masyarakat dan kompetensi lulusan. Studi sebelumnya umumnya menelaah kurikulum pesantren dari perspektif institusional dan pedagogis, namun masih terbatas yang mengkaji kesesuaian antara output lulusan dengan harapan pemangku kepentingan. Penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan mixed-method dengan desain concurrent triangulation yang menggabungkan data survei dari 100 alumni dan 50 pengguna lulusan dengan data kualitatif melalui wawancara dan focus group discussion yang melibatkan pimpinan pesantren, guru, alumni, dan masyarakat. Data kuantitatif dianalisis menggunakan statistik deskriptif, sedangkan data kualitatif dianalisis melalui analisis tematik. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa lulusan memiliki kompetensi keagamaan yang kuat (80%), serta keterampilan komunikasi dan etika kerja yang baik (75%), yang mencerminkan keberhasilan kurikulum dalam membentuk nilai-nilai pesantren. Namun, keterampilan teknis dan analitis masih relatif rendah (65%), yang menunjukkan adanya kesenjangan antara hasil kurikulum dan tuntutan dunia kerja. Penelitian ini menekankan pentingnya penguatan kompetensi berbasis employability, khususnya literasi digital dan kemampuan pemecahan masalah. Temuan ini berkontribusi pada kajian relevansi kurikulum pendidikan keagamaan melalui pendekatan evaluasi berbasis outcome yang melibatkan berbagai perspektif pemangku kepentingan.