More than one-third of schools in Tehran are 'dilapidated or worn out'

Abbas Zare, the director general of school renovation in Tehran province, states that more than one-third of schools in this province either 'need to be demolished' or 'require reinforcement'. On Saturday, June 1st, he told the Tasnim news agency, affiliated with the Revolutionary Guard, that '13.8 percent' of schools in Tehran province need 'demolition and reconstruction' and '22.8 percent' need 'reinforcement'. He further mentioned that most of the schools needing demolition are located in 'districts 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 16, and 19' of Tehran city and in 'the counties of Tehran, Shahriar, Shahr-e Rey, Damavand, and Pakdasht'. The director general of school renovation in Tehran province pointed out the 'acute shortage of schools in four areas of Tehran', stating: 'A total of 50 trillion tomans is needed to resolve the school issues in Tehran province.' He also noted that '30 percent' of schools in the counties of Tehran province are dilapidated. While stating that 'the number of dilapidated schools has decreased', he mentioned that the biggest obstacle to school renovation is 'land acquisition'. Despite his claim of a 'decrease' in the number of dilapidated schools, Abdolreza Fooladvand, the director general of education in this province, stated in February 2018 to the Tasnim news agency that '30 percent' of schools and educational spaces in this province need demolition and reconstruction. He had also mentioned that due to the large number of employees and ongoing costs, the ministry lacks the capacity for school renovation and safety improvements. Meanwhile, the Research Center of the Parliament reported on May 10th this year that the Ministry of Education owes 'approximately 44 trillion tomans' in payments to educators. This report emphasized that 'with the current status of the education budget, payment of these debts in the year 1403 (2024) is impossible, and we will once again witness past challenges.'