STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF ISLAMIC RELIGIOUS EDUCATION THROUGH TEACHER TRAINING

Abstrak

The quality of Islamic Religious Education (PAI) teachers at the Madrasah Tsanawiyah (MTs) level has a crucial role in shaping the character and spirituality of students. However, there are still many PAI teachers who have not received training that is relevant to the needs of the times, both in terms of pedagogy, digital literacy, and understanding of moderate and contextual Islamic values. This urgency encourages the need for a teacher training strategy that is not only technical, but also touches on affective and professional aspects in an ongoing manner. This research aims to formulate effective strategies in improving the quality of PAI teachers through a more adaptive and collaborative training approach. The method used is descriptive qualitative with data collection techniques in the form of literature studies, in-depth interviews, and group discussion forums (FGD) with PAI teachers, madrasah heads, and Ministry of Religion supervisors. The results of the study show three main strategies: (1) holistic blended-learning-based teacher training, (2) strengthening the professional community of PAI teachers as a collaborative and reflective space, and (3) collaboration between madrasas, the Ministry of Religious Affairs, and Islamic universities in designing and evaluating training. These three strategies complement each other and can be applied synergistically to encourage a more sustainable, relevant, and impactful improvement of the quality of PAI teachers in madrasas.