"The president's decision to assign Mr. Iskandar to audit the condition of pesantren infrastructure is a very appropriate move, and Commission V fully supports it," Commission V member Syafiuddin said here on Tuesday.
Earlier, President Prabowo instructed Minister Iskandar to thoroughly inspect and audit pesantren buildings across Indonesia following the recent fatal collapse of a building at a pesantren in Sidoarjo, East Java.
According to Syafiuddin, this task represents an important momentum to renovate and strengthen infrastructure that has often been overlooked.
He emphasized that the state must play an active role in ensuring that educational facilities at pesantrens are safe, adequate, and conducive to students’ learning activities.
"So far, many pesantrens have been established through community self-funding and lack sufficient infrastructure support," he pointed out.
He noted that the audit to be carried out by the minister is expected to serve as an initial step toward a nationwide program to improve and modernize pesantren infrastructure.
"Commission V is ready to work in synergy with the government in preparing policies and budgetary support so that the audit results can be followed up with concrete action," he remarked.
Earlier, Minister Iskandar met with Religious Affairs Minister Nasaruddin Umar to discuss follow-up actions on the president's directive.
At the meeting, Iskandar emphasized the importance of renovating infrastructure that does not meet safety standards.
On September 29, a building at Al Khoziny Islamic Boarding School in Sidoarjo collapsed while students were performing congregational prayers, killing 67 people.
The National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) has officially concluded search and rescue operations for the victims of the collapsed pesantren.
Basarnas Head Mohammad Syafii in Sidoarjo on Tuesday stated that 171 victims were found during the operations, including 104 survivors.
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Translator: Tri Meilani, Raka Adji
Editor: M Razi Rahman
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