Jakarta, Oct. 24 -- Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka urged students from Islamic boarding schools, or santris , to strengthen their expertise in science and technology to meet modern challenges and drive national progress.

Speaking at the Buntet Pesantren alumni gathering in Cirebon, West Java, on Thursday, Gibran called santris one of Indonesia's greatest assets as the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation.

" Santris are not only the guardians of moral and spiritual values but also key agents of national advancement," he said in a statement released by the Vice President's Secretariat on Friday.

He encouraged the Islamic boarding schools ( pesantrens ) to embrace innovation and modern science, stressing that Indonesia need...