Fars Teachers' Union: Thousands of Children Have Dropped Out of Education

The Fars Teachers' Union, in a message titled 'October and Those Left Behind,' stated that schools are reopening while 'thousands of children have dropped out of education for various reasons.' The union considers child laborers as 'small victims of poverty' who are among those who have dropped out of education. The message emphasized that while Article 30 of the Islamic Republic's Constitution mandates that 'the government is obliged to provide free educational facilities for all citizens until the end of secondary education,' we are witnessing children dropping out of school. Last winter, the latest report from the Research Center of the Parliament indicated that the number of students dropping out of education had increased by 26% over seven years, and in the 2021-2022 academic year alone, over 911,000 students were left out of the education cycle, while the rate of children's enrollment in education has always been negligible. The 'Ensaaf News' website reported on September 13 that the online registration of students, the prohibition of admission and registration of students without documents, and the issuance of regulations for charging tuition fees from students have raised concerns about the increasing number of children at risk of dropping out. The 'ILNA' news agency also addressed the issue of dropouts due to economic problems in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, noting that some parents are worried about the 'astronomical increase' in the items needed for their children's education in the new academic year, stating that 'their economic conditions are not suitable for continuing their children's education, and they are forced to prevent their children from continuing their studies.' Hamzeh Bagheri-Nejad, the Deputy for Literacy at the Education Department of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province, stated that factors other than financial poverty also contribute to student dropouts, mentioning 'cultural poverty, poor guardianship, employment, early marriage, chronic illness, and mental retardation' as other reasons for dropouts in this province. Data from the Statistical Center of Iran shows that the number of students dropping out of primary education has been increasing over three academic periods, with nearly 162,000 dropouts in the 2017-2018 academic year, rising to over 210,000 in the 2021-2022 academic year. Statistics also indicate that 70% of dropouts are from the lowest income deciles (1 to 5). While official statistics in the Islamic Republic reflect such a situation, the history of 'data fabrication' and manipulation of indices and calculation methods by official Islamic Republic institutions has always drawn the attention of independent experts, leading to a lack of trust in their accuracy. Experts believe that the reality is always 'worse' than the image presented by the official statistics of the Islamic Republic institutions. A 50% increase in the price of school supplies; the academic year begins with rising costs for students. A government official's reaction to the 'monetization' of education for foreign students; costs for foreigners are similar to those for Iranians. The unveiling of a directive for charging tuition fees from foreign students; the expansion of class discrimination. Approval of teaching seven foreign languages in schools: 'mandatory' education and 'optional' selection.