After Dozens Of Students Died, The Government Combed 40 Thousand Islamic Boarding Schools To Be Examined
JAKARTA - The government moved quickly after the collapse of the Al-Khoziny Islamic Boarding School (Ponpes) in Sidoarjo, East Java, which killed dozens of students. The Ministry of Public Works (PU) is now conducting a massive evaluation of Islamic boarding schools throughout Indonesia.
The Minister of Public Works, Dody Hanggodo, said that at least 40,000 Islamic boarding schools would be examined for the physical condition of the building to ensure the safety and feasibility of the structure. "We will check a total of 40,000 Islamic boarding schools," said Dody at the Presidential Palace, Jakarta, Wednesday, October 8.
According to data from the Ministry of Religion (Kemenag), the number of active Islamic boarding schools in Indonesia reached 42,391 units, with the largest distribution on the island of Java. The examination is focused on buildings with two and three floors and above which have a higher structural risk potential.
"Our team has started going to the field since Monday throughout Indonesia," added Dody.
This step is taken as an anticipatory effort so that similar incidents do not happen again. The government will also take firm action if a boarding school building is found that does not meet construction safety standards.
Previously, Minister of State Secretary (Mensesneg) Prasetyo Hadi revealed that the incident at the Al-Khoziny Islamic Boarding School received President Prabowo Subianto's direct attention. "The president ordered a thorough evaluation of all Islamic boarding schools, especially from the security and safety aspects," he said last week.
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The President also asked ministers, governors and deputy governors to pay full attention to religious-based educational facilities in their respective regions.
The move by the Ministry of Public Works and the Ministry of Religion is expected to be a momentum to ensure that all Islamic boarding schools in Indonesia have a safe, feasible, and friendly infrastructure for students.