Fulfilling Children’s Right to Education in Perupuk Village: Perspectives from the Compilation of Islamic Law and the Child Protection Law

Abstract

The fulfillment of children’s right to education is a parental obligation under the Compilation of Islamic Law and Law Number 35 of 2014 on Child Protection. However, its implementation in rural communities continues to encounter economic, cultural, and legal-awareness barriers. This study examines parents’ perceptions and practices concerning the fulfillment of children’s right to education in Perupuk Village and assesses their conformity with Islamic and national law. This study used empirical legal research with a sociology-of-law approach. Analysis involved reduction, thematic presentation, legal comparison, and conclusion drawing; source and technique triangulation ensured data validity. The findings reveal that most parents understand their responsibility primarily to meet their children’s physical needs, while education has not been fully recognized as a fundamental right and a primary obligation. Several children were found to have discontinued their schooling, to have received limited parental support for continuing their education, or to have participated in their parents’ work in ways that interfered with their learning. These practices were influenced by financial constraints, parents’ limited educational backgrounds and legal awareness, and cultural attitudes that prioritized immediate household needs over education. Such conditions are inconsistent with the Compilation of Islamic Law and the Child Protection Law, which place responsibility for children’s education on parents. This study concludes that a gap persists between legal requirements and community practices in fulfilling children’s right to education in Perupuk Village.

Keywords: Child Protection Law; Children’s Right to Education; Compilation of Islamic Law; Parental Perceptions; Perupuk Village