Content of 56 Textbooks Changed; Number of Dropouts Doubled in Seven Years

Reza Morad Sahraei, the Minister of Education of the Islamic Republic, announced changes in the content of some textbooks for the new academic year. According to this minister of Ebrahim Raisi's government, changes have been made to the content of 56 textbooks this academic year, which he claims are 'based on a calculated and scientific process that is complemented by educational packages and then leads to content changes.' Previously, in September of last year, the Ministry of Education had reported changes to the content of 200 textbooks at the directive of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, which would be implemented based on Ali Khamenei's statements regarding a review of textbooks and educational content provided to students. Sahraei stated to the media present at the government meeting: 'Any collection of money taken by schools outside of insurance costs and what has been determined is against regulations.' He added that if 'any collection of money is taken, people should report it to the Education Ministry system.' Sahraei also claimed that 20 programs in the area of 'deprivation alleviation' have been announced, the first and most important of which is that from the beginning of Mehr (the Iranian month), the education of 'gifted' students from deprived areas who attend 'gifted schools' will be free. He made other promises, including distributing milk twice a week for elementary students, providing school supplies for students in deprived areas, and bringing back over 200,000 dropouts. These promises come at a time when the highest-ranking official of the Ministry of Education is making them, while the newspaper Shargh reported on September 29 that at least 900,000 students have been out of school over a seven-year period. The report states that the population of out-of-school children aged 6 to 12 has roughly doubled from 1394 to 1401 (2015-2022), with the total number of dropouts increasing from over 700,000 in 1394 to more than 900,000 in 1401. This occurs in a context where per capita income has decreased by more than 30% in the 90s. According to a report from the Research Center of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, the provinces of Sistan and Baluchestan, Khorasan Razavi, Tehran, Khuzestan, and West Azerbaijan have the highest prevalence of dropouts. The Ministry of Education had previously estimated that about one-third of students do not have access to new educational tools such as mobile phones and tablets, and according to the same ministry's report, only about 12% of students in Iran have independent access to tablets and mobile phones. It is worth noting that due to the lack of access for independent institutions to detailed data in the official bodies of the Islamic Republic, the statistics provided by the officials of the Islamic Republic cannot be verified. Changes in textbook content in Iran; the 'system' seeks to promote 'martyrdom' and the IRGC's push to seize the educational system with 'soldier teachers'; Basij members prioritized for recruitment as teachers. The start of curriculum changes at the request of Ali Khamenei: participation of 7,000 people to reform the content of 1,500 educational programs. Production of 'educational' animations by 400 'devout' animators in the seminary. The Islamic Republic's Ministry of Education seeks to 'educate' teachers in sexual, political, and ideological matters. Continuous changes in textbooks in Iran; the deputy minister: the failure rate of first graders is 'terrifying.'