Sidoarjo, E. Java. Nearly three weeks after a building collapse that killed 63 students, the Al Khoziny Islamic boarding school in Sidoarjo is preparing to reopen its learning activities.

The school suspended all teaching activities after its prayer hall collapsed during afternoon prayers on Sept. 29, killing dozens of students and injuring many others. Police investigators later cited construction failure as the likely cause of the tragedy.

On Friday, school spokesperson KH Zaenal Abidin said classes would resume this weekend, with returning students to be housed temporarily at the school’s second campus, located about 500 meters north of the collapse site.

“Starting tonight, some students will return. We’ve informed them through WhatsApp and phone calls,” Zaenal told reporters. “We will conduct re-registration to confirm who’s coming back, whether they are returning students or new ones who wish to study here.”

The school’s main complex remains sealed off under police investigation, with yellow tape still surrounding the ruins of the collapsed prayer hall. Authorities have yet to announce when the site will be cleared for use again.

The reopening comes after weeks of grief. On Oct. 15, East Java Police confirmed that all 63 victims had been identified by the Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) team. The process took more than two weeks and involved DNA matching for several severely injured bodies.

Al Khoziny, which has long served as a religious and educational hub in Sidoarjo, is now balancing recovery efforts with legal proceedings. The school’s management has appointed a team of lawyers to assist in ongoing police investigations into the structural collapse.

“We fully respect the legal process being carried out by the authorities,” Zaenal said. “We have assigned several lawyers to accompany us through the investigation.”