INTEGRATING SHARIAH PRINCIPLES IN EDUCATIONAL GOVERNANCE: A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW OF ISLAMIC SCHOOLS

Abstract

Embedding Shariah principles in the governance of Islamic schools presents significant challenges. Schools must remain faithful to classical Islamic jurisprudence while also meeting internationally recognised academic standards and reconciling these two commitments creates considerable tension in day-to-day practice. Although prior research has addressed aspects of this issue, existing studies remain fragmented across different disciplines and institutional contexts, offering little consolidated evidence. This review therefore examines these challenges by asking how Shariah principles are applied in educational governance and by identifying the barriers to their implementation. Following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines (Page et al., 2021), 13 peer-reviewed articles from Scopus and Web of Science were retained after screening, quality appraisal and thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2006). The synthesis produced three themes: the integration of Shariah in policy and curriculum; quality assurance and ethical leadership; and institutional tensions and regulatory challenges. Across the studies, the higher objectives of Islamic law (Maqasid al-Shariah) consistently enabled schools to adapt modern policies while preserving their religious character. The studies also identified recurring obstacles, including seniority-based leadership hierarchies that slow reform, limited digital infrastructure, and unresolved jurisdictional gaps between classical doctrine and contemporary statute, which together indicate a need for specialised, independent Shariah supervisory oversight. This review contributes a consolidated, evidence-based synthesis of fragmented multidisciplinary literature and provides policymakers with a defensible basis for developing context-sensitive governance frameworks for faith-based institutions.