Students’ Perceptions on Value-Added the Islamic Estate Planning Course in Real Estate Education

Abstract

Islamic estate planning plays an important role in the distribution of assets in Islamic society, especially in terms of ownership and inheritance. It has also been found in Malaysia that the growing value of frozen assets requires more awareness and understanding of proper estate planning. This research aimed to investigate the value added for the student enrolled in the Islamic estate planning course (RES626) in the Bachelor in Real Estate Programme offered in Universiti Teknologi MARA Shah Alam Malaysia. A survey was conducted among 54 students. The questionnaire was divided into two sections: students’ background and the students’ perceptions regarding the value-added contributions of Islamic estate planning to real estate education. Descriptive statistical analysis was applied to examine students’ perceptions of four aspects related to Islamic estate planning, namely knowledge enhancement, professional relevance, ethical awareness, and social responsibility. According to the research, students’ perceptions of the contributions of Islamic estate planning to real estate education were high, with a range of 4.2963 to 4.5000. The study found that students showed high levels of agreement on the aspect related to ethical awareness (M=4.5000), suggesting that Islamic estate planning plays a significant role in promoting students’ awareness of ethical principles in managing properties. High levels of agreement were also recorded on the aspects related to knowledge enhancement and professional relevance. In conclusion, it is important to note that Islamic estate planning is essential in enriching students' knowledge as well as their professionalism in dealing with various challenges that may arise during property ownership and inheritance from a legal, ethical, and cultural point of view. The results suggest a transition from elective to mandatory status for such courses to address national asset freezing issues.