Pesantren, Pegon and Artificial Intelligence: Preparing for National Literacy Day

National Literacy Day, observed every September 8, should not serve only as a reminder of writing systems as remnants of the past. It should also open a discussion about the future of literacy. In the age of artificial intelligence, Pegon must be given a chance to live, adapt and enter the knowledge ecosystem of the digital generation.

Pesantren have long used writing as a vehicle for knowledge. Pegon is not simply Arabic script used to write regional languages. It represents an intellectual creativity that brings Islam and Nusantara culture together. Through Pegon, classical Islamic texts were translated, religious books studied, preaching spread and Islamic knowledge embedded in community life.

The article argues that Pegon should not be treated merely as a cultural artifact. It is a technology of knowledge. Students read, write, take notes and pass learning from one generation to the next through the script. What is inherited is not only the lettering, but also a way for knowledge to live and move through ta’lim, ta’dib, tazkiyah, khidmah and continuity of scholarly transmission.

The learning environment is now changing. Students are not opposed to technology, and education is moving beyond books and notebooks from the pesantren veranda to digital screens. That shift does not have to threaten tradition. It can allow pesantren to accept new technology without losing manners, scholarly chains and educational purpose.

The Pegon Virtual Keyboard marks one step in that transition. A script once associated with pen and paper can now be used on a mobile phone. The change in tool may look simple, but its meaning is large: Pegon will remain alive if young people encounter it in everyday devices and use it for communication, documentation and knowledge production.

Preservation therefore requires more than storing manuscripts or holding ceremonies. Pegon must be used, read, studied and developed. Digitization can support documentation, corpus building, research and technologies capable of recognizing and processing the script. The article also points to Tarkib Digital, which would bring the tradition of studying classical Islamic texts into digital spaces. It cites a 2020 study by Mohammad ’Ulyan, Nurti Budiyanti and Shepta Adi Nugraha on Pegon-based Islamic education at Madrasah Diniyah Al Barokah Watuagung Tambak Banyumas.