Head of Welfare Organization: 400,000 People in Iran Have Dropped Out of Education

The head of Iran's Welfare Organization, Anoushiravan Mohseni Bandpay, stated that according to unofficial statistics, 400,000 individuals in the country have dropped out of education. He made this remark during the unveiling of the national campaign "Kind Heart; a plan to provide school supplies and clothing for underprivileged children" on Tuesday (September 12). Mohseni Bandpay also mentioned that in the first three months of this year, the Welfare Organization has taken in 2,000 street children, of which 327 were school dropouts. Various statistics have been reported regarding the number of school dropouts in Iran. 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 attribute the dropout rates to family poverty, long distances to schools in remote areas, and early marriage of girls. In July of this year, the head of the representatives of Sistan and Baluchestan province announced that the "real number" of school dropouts in this province is about 120,000, stating that 30% of these children are deprived of education due to lack of identification documents. Mohammad Naim Aminifard cited "lack of identity documents," "absence of educational justice," "cultural issues," and "difficult access and distances of 20 to 30 kilometers from schools" as reasons for children dropping out of school. ISNA news agency also reported that the Welfare Organization covers about 25,000 "orphaned and poorly cared for children." Mohseni Bandpay added that these children "often need public assistance to obtain school supplies and clothing." Earlier in September, he announced a collaboration between the Welfare Organization and the judiciary, requesting that children referred to welfare centers for organization and then returned to their families be stripped of parental rights after three occurrences. The head of the Welfare Organization stated that the minimum request of this organization is to temporarily remove guardianship from the parents of these children and place them in welfare centers. Mohseni Bandpay noted that some families force their children into "forced labor" due to poverty, adding that "when parents know that if they repeat this act {forcing their children into labor}, they will lose custody, they will prevent further work." In this context, nearly half of the schoolgirls in middle or high school in border areas drop out.