A Critical Analysis of Islamic Religious Education (PAI) Curriculum Policy in Madrasas in Addressing the Challenges of Society 5.0: Between Tradition and Innovation

Dzihan Farkhiyah (Universitas Islam Negeri Siber Syekh Nurjati Cirebon)
Dedi Purnomo (Universitas Islam Negeri Siber Syekh Nurjati Cirebon)
Iin Syamsul Arifin (Universitas Islam Negeri Siber Syekh Nurjati Cirebon)
Mahbub Nuryadien (Universitas Islam Negeri Siber Syekh Nurjati Cirebon)

Community: Jurnal Hasil Penelitian dan Pengabdian Masyarakat
Vol. 5 No. 1 (2026): Action Research and Community Development

The Islamic Religious Education (PAI) curriculum policy in Indonesian madrasas faces dual pressures between maintaining Islamic scholarly traditions and responding to the demands of the human-centered Society 5.0 era, but no study has yet critically examined the madrasah PAI curriculum regulatory documents from a comprehensive Society 5.0 perspective. This study aims to: (1) analyze the content of the PAI curriculum policy in relation to the preparation of Society 5.0 competencies; (2) identify the tension between Islamic scholarly traditions and the demands of Society 5.0 innovation in policy documents; (3) explore the extent to which policies respond to key Society 5.0 competencies; and (4) formulate conceptual recommendations for policy reform that synergistically bridges tradition and innovation. The study uses a qualitative approach with a document analysis design based on a critical policy analysis framework, covering four national policy documents: KMA No. 184 of 2019, CP PAI 2025, and Renstra Kemenag 2020–2024 analyzed using a three-category thematic coding matrix and verified through source triangulation. The results of the study found that: (1) the policy has not explicitly mentioned the Society 5.0 paradigm and still operates within the logic of the Industrial Revolution 4.0; (2) the content of Islamic tradition appears dominant but has not been accompanied by an integration strategy with the demands of Society 5.0; (3) digital literacy based on Islamic values ​​​​is only present in Phase F, absent at the MI and MTs levels; and (4) the innovation mandate is permissive without minimum standards, potentially widening the digital divide between madrasas. This research contributes as the first study using the What's the Problem Represented to Be framework, to dissect the madrasah PAI curriculum policy from a Society 5.0 perspective, while also offering operational recommendations for the Ministry of Religious Affairs in revising KMA No. 184 of 2019, progressively updating the CP PAI from MI to MA, and developing technical guidelines for equitable Islamic value-based technology integration.