Reduction in Education Budget Coincides with Over 900,000 Children Dropping Out of School

On Thursday, July 4, the Vice Chairman of the Education Commission in the Islamic Consultative Assembly announced that the number of children dropping out of school in Iran is 911,000, including 400,000 elementary school students. According to Mohammad Molavi, while 279,000 of these children have dropped out due to 'financial problems,' the education budget for the year 1403 has decreased compared to the previous year. Experts have cited 'poverty' as the main reason for children's dropout in Iran. The Vice Chairman of the Education Commission noted that the allocation of the country's general budget to education has been 12% in recent years, but this year's budget for the ministry has dropped to less than 10%. This is despite the fact that the budget for the year 1403 has seen a 20% increase compared to the previous year. Recently, the Deputy Attorney General of the country, Gholam Abbas Torki, referred to the existence of about one million children out of school as a 'significant statistic' and called for 'transformation' in the educational system. The Statistical Center of Iran reported that the number of school dropouts for the academic year 1402-1401 was over 929,000, which represents a 2% increase compared to the previous year. A representative from Sistan and Baluchestan in the Supreme Council of Provinces announced last year that 30% of students in this province drop out annually due to issues including school transportation costs. Farooq Azemi stated in October 1402 in an interview with the Iranian Labor News Agency, ILNA, that 4,000 students have dropped out in just one area of Sistan and Baluchestan. Moien al-Din Saidi, a representative from Chabahar in the parliament, emphasized last December that in Sistan and Baluchestan, less than 40 out of every 100 students manage to graduate. In addition to poverty, issues such as a shortage of teachers and educational spaces also contribute to the increase in the number of school dropouts in Iran. The Chairman of the Research and Education Commission, Alireza Monadi Sefidan, has predicted that educational spaces will face a shortage of 70,000 to 80,000 teachers in the upcoming school year. Meanwhile, teachers have held numerous protests in recent years to achieve their professional and livelihood demands, criticizing the policies governing educational affairs in the country. The new school year is approaching with a shortage of 80,000 teachers, the retirement of 72,000 teachers, and a deficit of 176,000 educators for the new academic year. The teachers' union has stated that the presidency of Ebrahim Raisi has been one of the 'darkest' periods in the history of education. Protests by teachers have been held in at least 10 cities across Iran despite government threats and promises.