120,000 Children in Sistan and Baluchestan Deprived of Education

The head of the Sistan and Baluchestan provincial representatives announced that the 'real number' of children deprived of education in this province is about 120,000, stating that the reason 30% of these children are unable to attend school is due to the lack of identification documents. Mohammad Naim Aminifard said in an interview with the House of the Nation website, affiliated with the parliament, that the statistics from parliament representatives differ from those of government organizations. According to this parliament representative, government statistics indicate that about 25,000 to 30,000 individuals in Sistan and Baluchestan are out of school, while parliament representatives estimate this number to be between 110,000 and 120,000. He cited 'lack of identity documents', 'absence of educational justice', 'cultural issues', and 'lack of easy access and distances of 20 to 30 kilometers from schools' as reasons for children being out of school. Provincial officials in Sistan and Baluchestan have provided varying statistics in recent months regarding the number of out-of-school children, some of which are lower and some higher than those mentioned by Aminifard. Mohammad Reza Saravani, the director-general of welfare in Sistan and Baluchestan, mentioned on April 21 that there are 60,000 out-of-school children in the province. However, Hassan Norouzi, head of education in Chabahar, stated on March 11, 2017, that there are 160,000 out-of-school children in Sistan and Baluchestan, which constitutes a quarter of the out-of-school population in Iran. He also announced that 100,000 out-of-school children in this province have been enrolled in school over the past two years. Aminifard also noted that 70% of the out-of-school children in this province have identification documents, and most of them reside in the cities of Iranshahr, Chabahar, Konarak, Nikshahr, and Saravan. He stated that identity document issues are among the reasons for the deprivation of education for 30%, or about 40,000 more children, and that the educational deprivation of 'individuals without identity documents' has become a 'problem' in Sistan and Baluchestan. According to Aminifard, some of these children are the offspring of nomads and some are children of Iranian women and foreign nationals, although their numbers are not significant. He also mentioned that some children living in remote areas, mountains, and deserts lack identification due to the unavailability of government services. Various statistics regarding out-of-school children in Iran have been announced so far. The Research Center of the Parliament reported in 2011 that the number of these children, based on the 2006 census, exceeded three million. However, officials from the Ministry of Education estimate this figure to be around 600,000. Some experts consider family poverty, long distances to schools in remote areas, and early marriages of girls as reasons for children being out of school.