The Curriculum of Islamic Educational Institutions Integrated with Local Wisdom

Abstract

A curriculum, like a map, is not merely a route to knowledge it also reflects who we are and where we come from. Thus, the development of Islamic educational institutions cannot occur in isolation; it must be interwoven with the broader fabric of life. This study is grounded in the belief that active participation from various stakeholders, local communities, village clerics, dedicated teachers, parents who offer silent prayers, and local governments is essential to ensure that the curriculum becomes more than a formal document. It should instead become a living, breathing entity within the learning environment. Utilising a systematic approach, this research applies rigorous screening based on inclusion and exclusion criteria and draws from scholarly databases. The findings reveal that integrating local wisdom into the curriculum of Islamic educational institutions not only deepens students’ religious understanding but also cultivates social awareness, ethical values, and interpersonal skills. Academically, this has significant implications for the development of culturally rooted curricula, context-based teaching methodologies, and character education grounded in local traditions. Designing educational experiences in Islamic institutions with local wisdom as their foundation is not merely about adding customary elements to religious teachings. Rather, it requires synthesis a convergence of traditional values and divine guidance, ensuring that neither negates the other, but instead mutually reinforces both. In conclusion, a curriculum based on local wisdom imbues the learning process with new meaning: it becomes more contextual, grounded, and ultimately more capable of shaping students' comprehension of the religious and cultural values that thrive in their own native soil.