The Collapse of the Prayer Room at the Al Khoziny Islamic Boarding School in Sidoarjo: Professional, Risk, and Insurance Perspectives

A heartbreaking tragedy occurred on Monday, September 29, 2025, when a prayer room at the Al Khoziny Islamic Boarding School in Buduran Village, Buduran District, Sidoarjo Regency, collapsed while students were performing the Asr prayer in congregation. The incident claimed the lives of three students and dozens of others, with injuries ranging from minor to serious.

As people who care about education and the safety of the younger generation, we all offer our deepest condolences for this tragedy. Our best prayers go out to the victims who have passed away, and may they find comfort in the presence of Allah SWT. May their families, teachers, and the entire Islamic boarding school community be granted fortitude and strength to face this difficult test.

Beyond the grief, this disaster also serves as a reminder of the importance of construction safety in any building, including houses of worship. This incident raises major questions: were the design, foundations, and construction supervision carried out properly? Is there any professional liability for negligence? And what if the injured party sues for compensation?

From the perspective of a senior insurance broker, this tragedy has opened up a discussion about professional risk in the construction world, particularly in relation to Professional Indemnity Insurance, and how the role of insurance brokers can provide fairer and faster protection for victims and related parties.

Contact L&G Insurance Broker now at 08118507773 for a free consultation before the risks haunt your business.

Victims & Latest Data

Based on media reports as of Tuesday, September 30, 2025:

1. A total of 98 students were reported to be victims who had been evacuated from the rubble.
2. Of this number, 3 students died in this incident.
3. Hundreds of students were buried under rubble when the prayer room collapsed.
4. Some victims suffered injuries ranging from minor to serious, including cases requiring surgery and amputations.
5. The injured victims were treated at several hospitals, including R.T. Notopuro Regional Hospital (Sidoarjo), Delta Surya Hospital, and RSI Siti Hajar.

This tragedy attracted national attention because it demonstrated that building upgrades without proper engineering calculations and adequate oversight can have fatal consequences, even for religious buildings considered “modest.” In this analysis, we will examine the design and construction quality, professional risk, and the role of Professional Indemnity Insurance and insurance brokers in risk mitigation.

Background of Construction Incidents in Indonesia

Indonesia has experienced numerous building collapses—whether public buildings, schools, or houses of worship—usually caused by a combination of weak design, poor material quality, and minimal oversight. The case of the Al Khoziny prayer room demonstrates that even small buildings can be at high risk if technical aspects are neglected.

Some general background factors:

1. Weak licensing and regulations: Adding floors without a building permit or official construction permit allows for substandard “clinical” or “additional” building practices.
2. Cost and time pressures: The desire to complete projects quickly or more cheaply often comes at the expense of quality and safety.
3. Weak technical oversight: Many small projects are executed without independent technical supervisors or consultants.
4. The cult of “less formal” construction: In Islamic boarding schools or foundations, there is an assumption that buildings of worship can be built using a non-formal approach, even though technical aspects still need to be considered.

The Al Khoziny case shows that structural design failures + the old foundation’s inability to bear the additional load have exploded into a tragedy that claimed lives.

Risks in the Design and Construction of Religious Buildings

In the context of religious buildings such as prayer rooms or prayer rooms, there is a perception that the structure is relatively simple, but from a technical perspective it still carries a number of risks:

1. Design Risk. Miscalculation of roof loads, additional floor loads, slope loads, or rain/wind loads.
2. Does not take into account the addition of structures (e.g. floor extensions) to the old foundation.
3. Aesthetic design that ignores structural aspects (e.g. thin walls without adequate reinforcement).

Construction Risk

1. Materials that do not meet specifications (non-standard cement, light iron, low quality concrete).
2. Inadequate labor skills — construction without expert supervision.
3. The work process is rushed or does not comply with concrete curing, drying and gradual casting procedures.

Risk Management & Supervision

1. There is no independent technical supervisor or consultant to inspect each stage of construction.
2. There are no periodic inspections or verification of material quality.
3. Lack of coordination between architects, structural engineers, and contractors in field changes.

If these risks occur, the consequences could include partial or total building collapse, injury or death, and lawsuits against parties deemed negligent.

Professional Indemnity Insurance: Definition & Benefits

Professional Indemnity Insurance (PI Insurance) is an insurance policy designed to protect professionals — such as architects, structural engineers, engineering consultants — from third-party claims resulting from errors, negligence, or negligence in their profession.

PI Policy General Coverage

1. Legal claims against professionals accused of misconduct in their work.
2. Legal/attorney fees in litigation or out-of-court settlement processes.
3. Compensation or damages for losses suffered by third parties.
4. Miscalculations, erroneous documents, or oversight failures.

Benefits in Construction Projects

1. Protecting professionals from large financial burdens in the event of a claim.
2. Increase project owner confidence that consultants are protected.
3. Ensuring that if an accident occurs, compensation can proceed more orderly and professionally.
4. Be a risk mitigation tool in consulting contracts and projects.

However, PI Insurance is not a substitute for quality design and construction — it is a complementary safety net.

The Relationship Between Design/Construction Quality and PI Insurance

There is a synergistic relationship between the technical quality of construction and insurance protection:

1. If the design and construction are carried out to high standards and with strict supervision, the likelihood of a claim is very small.
2. However, human error is still possible: for example, structural miscalculations or unrecorded field changes.
3. This is where PI Insurance comes in: if professional misconduct is proven, the policy will cover compensation and legal costs.

Thus, the ideal approach is: technical quality + insurance protection working together.

The Al Khoziny case is very relevant: despite the simple construction, adding a floor without a foundation study is a design/functional error that could give rise to large claims.

The Role of Insurance Brokers in Construction Cases Like This

Insurance brokers play a vital role in ensuring proper protection:

1. Risk Analysis. A professional broker will assess the project’s specific technical risks (e.g., prayer room, additional floors, soil type).
2. Policy Selection and Adjustment. Brokers help select the appropriate PI policy, ensuring important clauses are covered (errors & omissions, negligence, coverage limits).
3. Negotiating with Insurance Companies. Brokers act as intermediaries to ensure clients receive competitive premiums without sacrificing coverage.
4. Claims Assistance. When a claim arises (for example, a victim seeking compensation), the broker guides you through the procedures, documentation, and negotiations with the insurer.

In the case of Al Khoziny, if the consultant or contractor had the right broker, the claim process or compensation negotiations would have been more orderly and faster, minimizing reputational and financial losses.

Lessons from the Al Khoziny Case

Some key lessons to be learned:

1. Adding a building without verifying the foundation is very dangerous.
2. Structural changes must involve re-analysis of the old foundations and structures.
3. The importance of building permits & regulations
4. Additional construction without permits is often outside of technical and legal oversight.
5. prayer roomEven places of worship are vulnerable. The notion that buildings of worship are structurally lighter is a lie—people are still inside.

Practical Recommendations for Islamic Boarding Schools, Foundations, and Contractors

Here are concrete steps to prevent a similar tragedy from happening:

For Islamic Boarding Schools / Foundations.

1. Use certified and experienced contractors and consultants.
2. Do not undertake renovations or additional floors without a foundation study and official permits.
3. Involve independent technical supervisors.
4. Set aside a dedicated budget for quality control.

Collaborate with insurance brokers to protect projects through PI Insurance and construction policies (All Risks, CAR / EAR).

For Architects / Engineers / Consultants

1. Apply optimal design standards and minimum safety margin.
2. Document all field changes (RFI, addendum).
3. Have a PI policy as professional protection.
4. For Contractors / Implementers
5. Make sure the material meets the specifications.
6. The casting, curing and quality control processes are carried out with discipline.
7. Perform internal quality control and third-party verification.
8. For Regulators & Local Governments
9. Enforce construction permit requirements (IMB/PBG) including technical audits.
10. Tighten supervision of additional construction on existing buildings.
11. Promote the importance of construction insurance and professional risks.

The tragedy of the collapse of the Al Khoziny Islamic Boarding School prayer room demonstrates that even the simplest structures can have fatal consequences if technical aspects are neglected. This incident was not only a structural failure, but also a failure of professional risk management.

Quality design and construction must be a priority from the outset, and Professional Indemnity Insurance should be provided as an additional layer of protection. Insurance brokers serve as strategic partners to ensure risks are identified, transferred, and, if claims arise, professionally managed.

Hopefully, this case will serve as a wake-up call: every building—even a prayer room—must be constructed with technical integrity and sound risk management. By doing so, we not only save the building, but also safeguard human safety, honor professional responsibilities, and provide legal protection for all parties.

This article is written solely as a form of concern, a reminder, and an attempt to provide solutions from a risk management and insurance perspective, specifically Professional Indemnity Insurance. This article is not intended to corner, blame, or accuse any party related to the collapse of the prayer room at the Al Khoziny Islamic Boarding School in Sidoarjo. All chronological data, number of victims, and incident information are obtained from various media reports and are subject to change based on developments in the official investigation by the competent authorities.

We extend our deepest condolences to the victims, their families, teachers, and the entire Islamic boarding school community affected. This tragedy is a difficult test, and we offer our best prayers that the departed will find a place of honor in the sight of Allah SWT, and that the families left behind will be granted fortitude and strength.

The main purpose of this article is to raise public awareness that every construction project, no matter how small, still has…riskcan pose significant risks if not planned, supervised, and constructed according to technical standards. Furthermore, this article aims to educate the public, Islamic boarding school managers, contractors, and construction professionals about the importance of implementing design standards, quality control, and insurance protection.

Therefore, this article should be read as a reflection and shared learning resource, not as an investigative document or legal decision. Should clarification or differing official data arise in the future, the most recent information should be used as the primary reference.

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