The Role of Islamic Religious Counselors in Strengthening Excellent and Character-Based Education: A Literature Analysis of Religious Education Policy
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.28918/advisena.v1i1.14911Abstract
Excellent and character-based education has become a strategic agenda in the transformation of religious education in Indonesia, particularly amid challenges related to strengthening students’ morality, integrating spiritual values, and improving the quality of adaptive education. Within this context, Islamic religious counselors occupy a strategic position not only as religious guides for the community, but also as actors in strengthening character education. This study aims to analyze the role of Islamic religious counselors in reinforcing excellent and character-based education through a literature-based analysis of religious education policies. The study employed a qualitative approach using library research through the analysis of academic literature and major policy documents, including the Asta Priority Programs, the Religious Moderation framework, and the Decree of the Director General of Islamic Community Guidance Number 794 of 2025. The findings reveal that Islamic religious counselors function as educators, counselors, motivators, and facilitators in students’ character formation, while recent regulations strengthen their position in a more implementation-oriented manner within the religious education system. These findings confirm that the integration of strategic and technical policies contributes to the strengthening of education that is excellent, character-based, and integrated. This study contributes by offering a new conceptual framework regarding the relationship among the role of religious counselors, religious policy, and the strengthening of character education within the field of Islamic Guidance and Counseling.
Keywords:
References
Ali, M. (2024). Penyuluh Agama Islam Sebagai Penggerak Pendidikan Keagamaan Dan Penguatan Karakter Untuk Meningkatkan Kesadaran Spiritual Masyarakat. Jurnal An-Nasyr: Jurnal Dakwah Dalam Mata Tinta, 11.
Aliani, S. O., Alam, Md. S., Rofiq, A., & Srinio, F. (2023). The Role of Islamic Religious Counselors in Providing Religious Understanding of Ta’lim Councils in Minority Areas. Dirasah International Journal of Islamic Studies, 1(2). https://doi.org/10.59373/drs.v1i2.19
Badan Litbang dan Diklat Kementerian Agama RI. (2019). Moderasi Beragama (O. Fathurahman & M. A. Sila, Eds.). Badan Litbang dan Diklat Kementerian Agama RI.
Bassar, A. S., & Hasanah, A. (2020). Riyadhah: The model of the character education based on sufistic counseling. Journal of Advanced Guidance and Counseling, 1(1). https://doi.org/10.21580/jagc.2020.1.1.5763
Bryan, J., & Henry, L. (2012). A model for building school-family-community partnerships: Principles and process. Journal of Counseling and Development, 90(4). https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1556-6676.2012.00052.x
George, M. W. (2008). The Elements of Library Research. In The Elements of Library Research. Princeton University Press. https://doi.org/10.1515/9781400830411
Hadrayani, N. A., Qadaruddin, M., & Sumai, S. (2025). Communication Competence of Islamic Religious Counselors in Preventing Early Marriage Through Guidance for School-Age Adolescents (BRUS) at State Vocational School 2 Barru. International Journal of Health, Economics, and Social Sciences, 7(4), 1877–1886.
Hilmi, I., Arwani, M., Mulyadi, M., Nurjanah, N., Arifin, B. S., & Hasanah, A. (2026). Pendidikan Islam: Strategi dan Model Penanaman Karakter dalam Pendidikan Formal dan Nonformal Berbasis Nilai-Nilai Islam. Joce-Ip, 20(1), 87–95.
Huda, M. (2024). Strengthening Religious Moderation Through the Core Values of Islamic Boarding School Education. Al-Hayat: Journal of Islamic Education, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.35723/ajie.v8i1.458
Lesmana, H. (2025). Strategi dan Inovasi Penyuluhan Agama Islam Kontemporer. Penerbit Adab Indonesia.
Malin, J., Hackmann, D. G., & Scott, I. (2020). Cross-Sector collaboration to support college and career readiness in an urban school district. Teachers College Record, 122(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/016146812012200110
Megawati, M., & Sulisworo, D. (2025). Transformative Education in Character Development of Students in Religious-Based Schools: Narrative Review. Edu Cendikia: Jurnal Ilmiah Kependidikan, 4(03). https://doi.org/10.47709/educendikia.v4i03.5336
Mudrikah, A. E., & Sihono, S. (2025). Peran Strategis Penyuluh Agama Dalam Menumbuhkan Perilaku Moderasi Beragama: Pendekatan Edukatif Dan Transformasi Sosial Masyarakat. Istinarah: Riset Keagamaan, Sosial Dan Budaya, 7(2). https://doi.org/10.31958/istinarah.v7i2.15925
Nurafiah, N., & Gaffar Haris, A. (2024). Revitalisasi Pemikiran Pendidikan Islam Klasik dalam Konteks Pendidikan Indonesia Masa Kini Menumbuhkan Pendidikan Islam yang Berbasis Nilai dan Karakter. Mandarras: Jurnal Studi Pemikiran Pendidikan Islam, 1(2).
Prihatini, R. L., & Rustamaji, E. (2022). Performance of Islamic Religious Counselors in Executing Counseling Function During the Covid-19 Pandemic. Jurnal Ilmu Dakwah, 42(2).
Rahmadi, R., & Hamdan, H. (2023). Religious Moderation in The Context of Islamic Education: A Multidisciplinary Perspective and Its Application in Islamic Educational Institutions in Indonesia. Khazanah: Jurnal Studi Islam Dan Humaniora, 21(1). https://doi.org/10.18592/khazanah.v21i1.8487
Ruang Lingkup Kegiatan Jabatan Fungsional Penyuluh Agama Islam, Pub. L. 794, Bimas Islam Kemenag RI (2025).
Rudolf, S. C., & Grădinaru, S. R. (2019). The quality and implementation of local plans: An integrated evaluation. Environment and Planning B: Urban Analytics and City Science, 46(5). https://doi.org/10.1177/2399808317737070
Scheel, M. J., Stabb, S. D., Cohn, T. J., Duan, C., & Sauer, E. M. (2018). Counseling Psychology Model Training Program ψ. Counseling Psychologist, 46(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/0011000018755512
Sider, R. J., & Unruh, H. R. (2004). Typology of Religious Characteristics of Social Service and Educational Organizations and Programs. In Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly (Vol. 33, Number 1). https://doi.org/10.1177/0899764003257494
Sofyan, A., Nata, A., & Riaz, F. (2025). Bridging the Qur’an-based education ecosystem for the sustainability of Islamic integration. In Towards Resilient Societies: The Synergy of Religion, Education, Health, Science, and Technology. https://doi.org/10.1201/9781003654940-27
Subhi, M. R., Nurlatifah, A. I., & Fawzy, R. (2023). Paradigma Pengembangan Bimbingan Penyuluhan Islam Perspektif Dakwah. Jurnal Bimbingan Penyuluhan Islam, 05(1).
Suhra, S., Qamariah, S., & Saenal, A. (2023). Peran Penyuluh Agama dalam Pembinaan Karakter Toleransi pada Masyarakat. La Tenriruwa: Jurnal Bimbingan Penyuluhan Islam, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.30863/jbpi.v2i1.5217
Syafiqurrohman, M. (2020). Implementasi Pendidikan Akhlak Integratif-Inklusif. QALAMUNA: Jurnal Pendidikan, Sosial, Dan Agama, 12(01). https://doi.org/10.37680/qalamuna.v12i01.240
Zaki, M. (2025). Integrating Islamic Teachings into School Counselling: Bridging Spiritual and Educational Guidance. Ittesaal – Journal of Connecting Discourses. https://doi.org/10.64984/ijcd.1.2.2024.05
Downloads
Published
Article Statistics
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Ahmad Farhan
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
