On Wednesday, June 5, 2024, Group 4 of the Center of Excellence (CoE) Social Welfare Program from the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences at the University of Muhammadiyah Malang held a socialization event on the importance of education and the dangers of child marriage at MTS Al-Munawwaroh, located in Pandanmulyo Village, Tajinan District, Malang Regency.
After conducting assessments with the village government, local community, and schools in Pandanmulyo, we found that the rates of school dropouts and early marriage were still very high. One of the main causes of school dropouts is the “Mberot Bantengan” tradition. Many children lose interest in studying and eventually drop out of school, citing boredom and a preference for playing Mberot Bantengan. Meanwhile, the primary cause of child marriage is peer influence and a lack of awareness about its risks. This event was attended by students from grades 1 to 3 at MTS Al-Munawwaroh.
Based on these findings, Group 4 of the Center of Excellence (CoE) organized a socialization program at the MTS Al-Munawwaroh hall to raise awareness about the importance of education and the risks of early marriage. The event was held at this school due to the high number of dropouts, with 20 students recorded. Some had dropped out as early as grades 1 or 2, while others had completed junior high school but did not continue to high school or vocational school.
