Higher Education Awareness: How are the Parent's Perceptions?

Abstract

Education is an essential thing in life. Support from the Indonesian government by declaring 9 years of compulsory education at the tertiary level indicates that education is highly recommended for the formation of a young generation with knowledge and character. Apart from the government, parents are central to creating a quality young generation. It doesn't just stop at upper secondary education, higher education is also something that parents should pay attention to. Therefore, parents' awareness in supporting their children, especially girls, in continuing their education to college is something that should be implemented. However, obstacles and support cannot be separated from this realization due to life in remote or rural areas. This research will discuss parents' perceptions in supporting their daughters to go to college. This research uses a qualitative approach, a phenomenological type. Participants in this research were 7 parents in Ujong Padang Village-Nagan Raya, Aceh Indonesia. Data collection was carried out by observation and interviews. Data analysis was carried out using Atlas. ti 22 software. The research results showed that there were positive and negative perceptions from parents regarding support for sending their daughters to college. Barriers faced by parents in general are lack of funds, children's health, and transportation problems.