The organization was founded as Persatuan Madrasah Tarbiyah Islamiyah (Union of Islamic Education Schools) on May 5, 1928 by Sulaiman ar-Rasuli at Canduang, Agam, West Sumatra.

The organization was initially created as a union of madrasas founded by kaum tua (traditionalist) clerics in Minangkabau to compete with modernist schools like Sumatera Thawalib.

Sulaiman ar-Rasuli reformed his surau as Madrasah Tarbiyah Islamiyah (MTI) Canduang, an act that was followed by other kaum tua ulama such as Muhammad Jamil Jaho and Abdul Wahid Saleh.

[5] PERTI initially participated in politics by joining Gabungan Politik Indonesia (GAPI) and giving its opinion on statehood to the Visman Commission in 1939.

[8] In 1952, PERTI together with Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), Indonesian Islamic Union Party, and Darud Da'wah wal Irsyad founded Liga Muslimin Indonesia.

[18] In order to quell the dispute, Sulaiman ar-Rasuli on March 1, 1969 issued a call to return to nonpolitical roots of PERTI in Khitah 1928.

[19] During the earlier days of Suharto's New Order regime, Sirajuddin faction adopted the name Tarbiyah in 1969 and became a staunch supporter of Golkar.

The Islamic Education Union was established in West Sumatra, then spread to several regions in Indonesia such as Aceh, Riau, Jambi, and Bengkulu.