Indonesia's Ministry of Religious Affairs (Kemenag) highlights the 2025 Madrasah Indonesia Olympiad (OMI) as a key platform to discover scientific talent in madrasahs. The event is set for November 10-13, 2025, in Tangerang, Banten, focusing on Islamic and digital technology innovations for global competitiveness. Direktorat Jenderal Pendidikan Islam Secretary Arskal Salim hopes OMI will produce elite talents, including future Nobel laureates from madrasahs.
The Secretary of the Directorate General of Islamic Education at Indonesia's Ministry of Religious Affairs (Kemenag), Arskal Salim, emphasized that the 2025 Madrasah Indonesia Olympiad (OMI) is a crucial platform to position madrasahs as breeding grounds for young scientists. This statement was made by Arskal in Lampung on Thursday.
OMI 2025 builds on the Madrasah Science Competition (KSM), which began in 2012, and the Madrasah Young Researcher Supercamp (MYRES), started in 2018. The event's theme is “Islam and Digital Technology: Scientific Innovation for an Advanced and Globally Competitive Indonesian Generation.” It will take place from November 10 to 13, 2025, in Tangerang City, Banten Province.
Arskal explained that OMI is more than a competition; it serves as ongoing development for madrasah students to nurture interests in science and technology. “Through OMI, we want to show that madrasahs have many talents with potential to become scientists in the future. This is a process of discovering elite seeds that we hope will continue to grow,” he said.
Participants come from various provinces, including top madrasahs like MAN Insan Cendekia and model MANs in major cities, who have passed rigorous selections. Kemenag is exploring scholarships for winners to support higher education. “This scholarship is important so that champions can continue their studies in fields matching their interests and talents, without economic barriers,” Arskal stated.
Furthermore, Arskal hopes OMI will bolster madrasahs' role in advancing Indonesian scientific knowledge. “We hope that one day a Nobel laureate from Indonesia will emerge from a madrasah,” he added. Beyond OMI, the Directorate General of Islamic Education has held events like robotics competitions, proving madrasahs' focus on science alongside religion. “All these activities show that madrasahs make a significant contribution to the nation, especially in preparing a young generation that is both religious and knowledgeable,” Arskal concluded.