"We will continue to collaborate on the rehabilitation of very old pesantrens, particularly those over 100 years old, with structurally vulnerable buildings," he said here on Tuesday, after a meeting with Religious Affairs Minister Nasaruddin Umar.
This check is an initial step to auditing and renovating aging buildings as part of efforts to ensure the safety of students.
Iskandar affirmed that all the mechanisms are currently being prepared to ensure the pesantren buildings meet the safety standards.
"We will evaluate them and we will start with the oldest and highest-risk pesantrens," he remarked.
Earlier, President Prabowo Subianto instructed Minister Iskandar to check the structural integrity of pesantren buildings in the country during a meeting held at the President's Jakarta residence on Sunday (October 5) evening.
This step is deemed essential in response to the collapse of a building of Al Khoziny Islamic Boarding School in Sidoarjo on September 29, 2025, while students were performing congregational prayer.
The National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) has officially concluded the search and rescue operations for victims of the collapsed pesantren.
Basarnas Head Mohammad Syafii in Sidoarjo on Tuesday stated that 171 victims were found during the search and rescue operations, including 104 survivors and 67 confirmed dead.
Related news: RI to conduct nationwide pesantren safety audit after fatal collapse
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Translator: Anita Permata, Raka Adji
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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