Parents see the tragedy, not a mistake, in the collapse of the Indonesia School news

Siduaro, Indonesia – Mohamed Royan Verdos, sixteen years old, had just finished praying on the first floor of Al -Khuzini Islamic Interior School In the eastern city of Sidwaro Javan on Monday when something hit him on his head.

When he looked up, he saw a piece of ceiling to fall on it and for other children, between the ages of 12 and 18.

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He said, “I thought it was an earthquake.” “We all started running.”

But it was not an earthquake.

For several weeks, the construction work was taking place in school, as the builders poured concrete on two upper floors. The weight of concrete caused the collapse of the building in the layers that Indonesian officials described as a “pie”.

Muhammad fell several times while fleeing and hitting the debris, including large pieces of deteriorating cement. He said he was fueled by adrenaline, he felt “nothing at that time”, but as soon as he was outside and collapsed on the ground, he realized that his leg was broken. He also broke his shoulder so much that doctors at City Fajer Hospital in Siduaro had to include a metal pin to keep together.

While more than 100 students managed to escape the building, as of Sunday, the death toll rose to 40.

Rescue teams are still trying to restore bodies, as about 27 other students believe under the rubble. On Thursday, it was announced that thermal aircraft did not find “any other signs of life.”

“Tragic accident”

in the wake of Deadly incidentQuestions were raised about the integrity of the structure and why construction work continued while students were inside.

But Muhammad or his mother, Uni, had no concerns about his return to school, where he studied since he was 12 years old.

“I am not afraid of returning to school,” Muhammad said while his mother expressed his hope to continue his studies there as soon as it was rebuilt.

“We consider this a tragic accident,” Yoni added, explaining that she had no desire to blame school authorities.

Both parents who spoke to an island except one of the parents who spoke to an island said that they wanted their child to return to school.

Symsul Arifin, who studies the sociology of religion at Muhammadiyah University in the nearby city of Malang, explained that internal Islamic schools such as Al -Khuzini play an important role in conservative religious societies, and that against this background must be understood to reach the blame.

He said: “Although parents may be shocked or saddened by the accident, they are unlikely to want to blame the owners or school leaders, as there is a mainly sponsor and agent relationship.”

These schools offer “a sacred umbrella for the students who protect and relax them, and for this reason their parents offer the leaders of (schools) completely.”

“Religious Authority”

There are more than 30,000 Islamic internal schools in Indonesia, known as Pesantren, where students live in dormitories and study in the shadow of religious scholars named Kyai, or Ustadz.

Pesantren focuses on religious education, although many, such as Khuzini, also teach secular topics.

In the eastern province of Java alone, there are approximately 7,000 bumantin.

“Kyai and Ustadz are incredibly respected, especially in (conservative regions such as) East Java because they consider people with great knowledge and wisdom,” Ervin explained.

They also play a major role in community life, as others consulted them regularly for spiritual guidance.

“They are considered closer to God because of their condemnation, and this is why people are unusual respect for them.

“So when something like this happens, it raises questions about the potential lack of safety, parents return to theology and a very traditional way of religious authority.”

Arifin said that al -Khuzini was established in 1927, and a number of “founding fathers” of the Nadatol of Scholars, the largest Islamic organization in the world, taught or studied there. This helped consolidate his position as “a center for religious and spiritual knowledge.”

“Hope for a miracle”

Muhammad Ali studied in Al -Khuzini as his father was in front of him. For this reason, he chose to send his son, Muhammad Fajri Ali, who is 14 years old to school.

The boy was at school when he collapsed and was not found yet. Ali was haunting the site since he heard about Collapse On social media on Monday.

He said, “I hope to have a miracle.”

He explained that the senior members of the school leadership met with the parents and apologized.

He said: “Before we met to see them, we (the fathers of the missing students) held a meeting and decided as a group that we will not blame the school or anyone else for what happened.”

Ali said: “I shook hands with (school leadership) and hugged me,” adding, “It was the will of God.”

Mohamed Abdo, a lecturer in civil engineering at the University of Muhammadiyah, analyzed pictures of the devastating building and believes that the construction work is likely to be on the high floors of the school caused the collapse.

“This immediately caused a weakening of the structure, especially when pouring things like cement, causing vibration and taking time to dry it,” adding that it is also possible that the columns used to support the structure were not large enough to hold the upper floors.

He said: “Often in Indonesia, we see a phenomenon of” living structures “where floors or rooms are added to the current buildings over time. This can become a problem if the plan is not from the beginning.

“In this case, it may be that they want to add bedrooms or classrooms, but without thinking about the extra weight of the floors.”

According to what was reported, the school was building a prayer room and the area of ​​ablution on the upper floors.

“Whatever it is, when there are still construction work, no one should do any other activities at home,” he explained.