Compulsory education is a legally mandated part of an education system in which children or young people are required by law to attend school or an equivalent recognized educational program for a specified period, typically defined by minimum and maximum ages ^[1][2][3]. It refers to that phase of schooling where enrolment, regular attendance, and participation are obligations attached to the right to education, rather than voluntary choices, and where parents or guardians and public authorities hold corresponding duties to ensure compliance ^[1][2].¹˒² Compulsory education is characterized by statutory rules that determine who must attend, for how long, and under what forms of provision, together with regulatory frameworks governing the organization and supervision of the schools or programs that fulfil this requirement ^[2][3]. Within the broader structure of education systems, compulsory education delineates the segment of schooling that all eligible individuals are required to complete, distinguishing it from pre‑compulsory and post‑compulsory education, which are not subject to general attendance laws ^[3].