Speaking at the signing of a joint agreement on pesantren infrastructure management, Umar said many religious sites were built in disaster-prone areas, including landslide zones.
He noted that Indonesia currently has 42,369 pesantrens, all privately operated, while only about five percent of Islamic schools, or madrasahs, are state-run.
As an initial step, the ministry is partnering with faith-based universities that have engineering faculties to inspect the structural safety of pesantrens and worship sites at risk.
Umar added that his ministry will also draft regulations to simplify construction permits and reduce administrative costs for pesantren operators.
Coordinating Minister for Community Empowerment Abdul Muhaimin Iskandar, who attended the event, said the government was determined to provide safe and comfortable learning environments.
Related news: Prabowo demands national safety check of pesantren buildings
“The government does not want students to study in unsafe and hazardous conditions,” he said.
Safety concerns have surged following the recent collapse of a building at the Al Khoziny Islamic Boarding School in Sidoarjo, East Java, which killed 67 people.
The National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) said 171 victims were found during operations, including 104 survivors.
In response, the government has set up the Pesantren Development Arrangement Task Force, comprising the Coordinating Ministry for Community Empowerment, the Ministry of Public Works, the Ministry of Religious Affairs, and regional administrations.
The task force aims to prevent similar tragedies by inspecting pesantren buildings and acting on public reports about unsafe facilities.
Related news: Sidoarjo Tragedy: Prabowo orders safety audit of pesantren nationwide
Translator: Sean Filo, Raka Adji
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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