An Analysis of the Legitimacy of the Compulsory Education Law (A Case Study of the 1399 Law on the Protection of Children and Adolescents)

Document Type : Original Article

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Abstract

Given the importance of education, the law on compulsory education is among the statutes with a long legislative history, having undergone various changes over time. In view of the necessity to align positive laws with the principles and rulings of the sharīʿa, as stipulated by Article 72 of the Constitution, a critical aspect of this law is the examination of the religious legitimacy (mashrūʿiyya) of such compulsion. Accordingly, the present article employs a descriptive-analytical method to scrutinize the mashrūʿiyya of compulsory education as outlined in the Law on the Protection of Children and Adolescents enacted in 1399 [2020 CE], which represents the most recent expression of legislative intent on this matter. The research findings indicate that the obligation for education at the primary level possesses religious justification (tawjīh sharʿī), considering the interests (maṣāliḥ) of both the individual and society. Therefore, in the event that a child's guardians (awliyāʾ) prevent their education, the punishment of those guardians is deemed religiously lawful (mashrūʿ). However, with regard to the secondary level, this compulsion—and, consequently, the punishment arising from non-compliance—is not considered justifiable, neither for the student (muḥaṣṣil) nor for the student's guardians. Thus, this section of the law requires amendment, and it would be preferable for the legislator, in this regard, to combat illiteracy through incentive-based measures rather than adopting coercive and obligatory approaches.

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References

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