11 Trillion Tomans; The Cost of Imposing Hijab in Iranian Girls' Schools

Radio Farda's investigations indicate that the cost of purchasing two sets of uniforms, including a coat, trousers, and a hijab, for parents with schoolgirls across the country exceeds 10 trillion tomans; this amount is more than double the allocations that the Iranian government has set in the 2024 budget for 'assisting with student per capita funding and supporting and enhancing students' educational coverage.' The Director General of the Parents and Teachers Association of the Ministry of Education announced before the start of the 2024-2025 school year that this year, an amount of 548,000 tomans has been determined as the 'floor price' for girls' school uniforms, while the 'ceiling price' is around 825,500 tomans. The data mining group at Radio Farda, considering the average of these two amounts and comparing them with the prices of coats, hijabs, and student trousers on domestic websites (online sellers), has calculated an average price of 600,000 tomans. According to official statistics, the population of schoolgirls in the country is estimated to be over eight million this year. If we multiply this figure by the average price of girls' school uniforms, we conclude that in the 2024-2025 school year, purchasing two sets of mandatory clothing (including a coat, trousers, and a hijab) will impose over 10 trillion tomans in costs on Iranian parents with schoolgirls. The cost of the government's mandated dress code in girls' schools is not limited to students. According to official statistics, about 500,000 female employees in schools, including teachers, educational and administrative staff, and personnel working in education departments, are active. If we consider the average cost of purchasing a coat, trousers, and a hijab for each adult woman to be one million tomans, the cost of buying two sets of clothing for female teachers in the country will exceed one trillion tomans this school year. Therefore, the enforcement of the mandatory dress code for schoolgirls and women working in education collectively imposes more than 11 trillion tomans in costs on the Iranian people.