An Official: We Have 7.4 Million Illiterates

The head of the Literacy Movement Organization has stated that there are 7 million and 400 thousand "absolute illiterates" in the age group of 6 years and older. This comes as the head of the Literacy Movement Organization had previously claimed that literacy development in Iran has reached 98%, which contradicts the figure of 7.4 million illiterates. Alireza Abdi reported that the number of absolute illiterates in the age group of 10 to 49 years is 1 million and 707 thousand, while the figure for those aged 6 and above is 7 million and 400 thousand. The literacy trend in Iran, especially among children and adolescents, faces a serious threat from "increased poverty." In this context, the Statistical Center of the Islamic Republic announced in October of this year that at least "556 thousand Iranian adolescents" were forced to "drop out" before entering high school, primarily due to "poverty and deprivation." Ali Asghar Fani, former Minister of Education, also stated on September 10, citing statistics from the Research Center of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, that the number of "school dropouts" in Iran is "930 thousand," and they will form the "illiterates of the future." The Statistical Center of Iran emphasized in its report that due to the spread of poverty and further reduced access to educational resources and facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic, deprivation from education among Iranian children has intensified. The price of school supplies has increased by 50%; the school year begins with high costs for students. The last page discusses the Literacy Movement and illiteracy, the decline of education in Iran, and the severe academic decline of students. A clerical official stated that female seminary students and soldier students are present in schools. Twenty percent of schools in Iran are dilapidated.