Students from Underprivileged Areas Victims of the Cultural Revolution Council's 'Exam Regulation'

The exam regulation approved by the Supreme Cultural Revolution Council, which was claimed to 'reduce exam stress and create educational justice', has had serious negative impacts on students in regular public schools, especially those in underprivileged areas. The government news agency Tasnim, with access to an unpublished study, reported that three years after the implementation of this regulation, evidence shows that students in regular public schools have been harmed, while students in special schools with better facilities and financial support perform better in final exams and the university entrance exam (Konkur). The content of the Supreme Cultural Revolution Council's regulation pertains to changes in the university entrance exam system and the impact of students' final exam scores on the Konkur. According to this regulation, final exam scores from schools will have a 60% impact on the Konkur, especially for students in the twelfth grade. The initial goal of this regulation was declared to be 'reducing stress caused by the Konkur and creating educational justice for all students, including those studying in regular public schools.' However, due to severe disparities in educational facilities between special schools and regular public schools, the implementation of this regulation has, in practice, benefited students in special and affluent schools. According to this study, based on the results of the final exams in June 2023, the average scores in gifted schools (Sampad) reached 16.14, while in regular public schools, it was 8.96. This score disparity indicates profound differences in the quality of education among schools in the country. While special schools, with more financial and educational resources from family support and additional expenses such as tutoring classes, educational counseling, and supplementary books, achieve high scores in the Konkur and final exams, students in regular public schools, especially in underprivileged areas, are practically deprived of these facilities. Underprivileged areas continue to rank at the bottom in final exam scores, and evidence from this study shows that provinces such as Sistan and Baluchestan, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, Khuzestan, and West Azerbaijan have the weakest scores. For example, in Sistan and Baluchestan province, the average score is 8.12, while in Yazd province, this figure reaches 12.91. These discrepancies are solely due to different access to educational resources and better educational facilities in affluent areas. This study concludes that the impact of this injustice in the Konkur, where final exam scores have a significant effect, is clearly evident. Students from special schools with more resources have a better chance in the Konkur competitions, while students from underprivileged areas, who mainly study in public schools with weaker facilities, have practically lower chances of success. In Delgan, Sistan and Baluchestan, one of the country's underprivileged provinces, the average score in biology in the experimental sciences field is 4.9, while in District 6 of Tehran, this score reaches 14.08. This study explains that the impact of final exam scores on the Konkur has led to students from special schools, even with similar scores, having better conditions in competition with each other, but this does not apply to students from regular public schools in underprivileged areas. According to this study, the exam regulation of the Supreme Cultural Revolution Council has turned into an educational crisis, especially for students from underprivileged areas and regular public schools. The recommendations of this study include revising the exam regulation of the Supreme Cultural Revolution Council and allocating coefficients for students from underprivileged areas to make competition conditions fairer for students across the country. Since the approval of this issue by the Supreme Cultural Revolution Council, the parliament has initiated discussions for changes, but each time it has reached a deadlock due to the council's resistance, which has not allowed changes to the regulation. The Konkur 2024 will be held unchanged, as before.