Funding for Afghan Children's Education in Iran: Ministry of Education or the UN?

Following the publication of a report claiming that the UN's allocated budget for the education of Afghan children in Iran is being spent on other matters, the head of the International Affairs and Schools Abroad Center of the Ministry of Education denied this and explained that the Ministry has allocated approximately 500 billion tomans for the education of Afghan students in 1393 (2014). He added that in the same year, the UN paid Iran 11 billion and 700 million tomans. Khalilullah Babalu emphasized that the money the UN pays for the education of Afghan children in Iran is insignificant compared to the amounts spent by the Ministry of Education. Shahin Noosh Abadi, the deputy of the International Affairs and Schools Abroad Center of the Ministry of Education, stated that according to the guidelines announced to schools, the tuition fees for grades one to six are set between 120,000 to 300,000 tomans, for middle school (grades seven and eight) between 144,000 to 336,000 tomans, and for high school and pre-university between 180,000 to 360,000 tomans. This official noted that considering the educational costs of each Iranian student, Afghan students' families benefit from discounts ranging from 76% to 92% compared to Iranian families, and even 11 groups from these families are exempt from the announced fees. Saeed Peyvandi, an educational expert residing in Paris, commented on the issue of Afghan students' educational costs in Iran, stating, 'The right to education and health for children is recognized in all major international covenants, including the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which Iran has also signed. This means that a child, regardless of their nationality, residency status, parents' status, gender, or any other characteristic, should have access to the educational system and health facilities. Unfortunately, this right is not fully recognized in Iran, unlike many host countries.' Previously, only those Afghan children whose residency was approved by Iran could attend schools in Iran. Hussein Alami Balkhi, the Afghan Minister of Refugees, emphasized that this issue has now been resolved, stating, 'I think the problems regarding the registration of Afghan children have been solved for now. The discussion about whether they will pay tuition or not is still ongoing. I hope this issue will also be resolved.' Following the Supreme Leader's directive in Ordibehesht this year regarding the right to education for Afghan children in Iran, it was expected that the government would immediately implement this order. However, an Afghan migrant residing in Iran expressed doubts about the proper and complete implementation of this directive, saying, 'People here are suffering a lot. It has been said that Iran, Afghanistan, and the UN have agreed to provide cards to one and a half million unemployed, health insurance, accident insurance, and enroll their children in school, but it turns out that all these claims are lies. The Afghan consulate in Zahedan is also of no help to the people...' According to the Ministry of Education's announcement in 1393, over 330,000 Afghan students were enrolled in 27,000 schools across the country.