PETALING JAYA: A total of 445 teenagers, including 411 girls, dropped out of school last year to get married, says religious affairs minister Idris Ahmad.
A total of 183 came from Sarawak, followed by Sabah (86), Kelantan (43), Pahang (38), Terengganu (21), Perak (21), Kedah (17), Selangor (12), Johor (10), Perlis (4), Penang (4), Negeri Sembilan (3), Melaka (2), and Labuan (1).
Idris was responding to a question from Fuziah Salleh (PH-Kuantan) who asked on the number of students who stopped school to get married during the pandemic.
“All underage marriage applications for Muslims were made in the shariah high court.
“The Islamic Family Law Enactment of the states stipulates that any applicant under the minimum age to get married must first obtain permission from a syarie judge,” Idris said in a reply posted on the Parliament website.
For non-Muslims, marriage registration is made at the National Registration Department (JPN) in accordance with the provisions under the Law Reform (Marriage and Divorce) Act 1976 (Act 164).
However, Idris said this Act did not apply to a native of Sabah, Sarawak or an Orang Asli in the peninsula whose marriage and divorce was subject to native customary law or Orang Asli customs, unless they chose to marry under this Act.