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Jakarta. Seventh-grader Salma Damayanti had never spent the night away from home, but last week she experienced what it was like to live with dozens of other children and devote herself to prayer and ritual.

For two nights, Salma, from state junior high school (SMP) No. 13 in Tangerang, slept on a thin mattress inside a classroom that had been turned into a temporary dormitory.

Along with about 100 other seventh- and eighth-graders from SMP 13, Salma was enrolled in a program called Pesantren Kilat, where students experienced what it was like to study at an Islamic boarding school for a few days.

Schools across the country, as well as universities and Islamic organizations, hold the program each year during Ramadan.

At SMP 13’s Pesantren Kilat, the days began at 2 a.m. with the tahajjud, or nightly prayers, followed by a communal pre-dawn meal before the fast.

Besides the five compulsory prayers every day, the students were also required to remain in the mosque for other prayers categorized as sunnah — not obligatory, but recommended.

“We also learned more about Islam during the days, through lessons given by the teachers and clerics,” Salma said.

Students were required to bring their own mattresses, Muslim-style clothes, towels and plates and cutlery for meals.

Ahmad Fauzi, the religious studies teacher at SMP 13, said the aim of the Pesantren Kilat was to instruct the students how to live in faith and moderation.

“For three days, they learn how to live without the luxuries they usually enjoy at home,” Ahmad said, adding that in this context, luxury could extend to include things as mundane as home-cooked meals or watching television with the rest of the family.

However, the purpose of the exercise can easily be set back by children’s desire to outdo each other in bringing the best or trendiest items to the Pesantren Kilat.

Henny Bharata, whose daughter, Khesia, attended a Pesantren Kilat while in the fourth grade at Al-Azhar Islamic School in South Jakarta, said she had experienced some unintended problems with the program.

Henny said Khesia, who is now in junior high school at Al-Azhar, had demanded her mother buy her “the trendiest bedsheet, plate, glass, spoon and even new clothes” when she took part in the four-day event at the prestigious private school.

“Her friends had all talked about what sort of stuff they were going to bring,” Henny said. “And of course Khesia didn’t want to miss out.” Henny ended up buying Disney-themed crockery for the Pesantren Kilat.

For teachers, meanwhile, the event provides a great opportunity to bond with their students, Ahmad said. “We can learn more about each child’s character,” he said.

Ahmad said that even though the short course might not make a lasting impression on most of the students, at least it would teach them more about Islam.

“We give lessons and talks about Islam that they don’t get in regular classes,” he said. Salma, however, was more skeptical, saying the brief lessons were unlikely to turn her into a more devout follower of Islam.

“I think when you have the right set of friends and family, that affects your religious behavior more,” she said.