Tuition Fees of Eight Million Tomans at Some Private Schools in Iran

Marzieh Gourd, the Deputy Minister of Education, announced that the tuition fee for the most expensive private school in Iran is eight million tomans, which is charged at some pre-university private schools in Tehran. According to ISNA, Ms. Gourd made this statement on the sidelines of the opening ceremony of the first exhibition "Preventing Social Harms Special for Private Schools" held in Kermanshah. She did not deny that some private schools charge tuition fees of ten million tomans, stating that these schools can add "a percentage and average to the tuition" based on the "special services" they provide. Gourd also added that the payment of this portion of the tuition increase for students is "optional" and that those who do not participate in special programs will be exempt from this increase. Currently, there are about 12,000 private schools in Iran, and according to this official, their tuition is approved by the provincial supervisory council based on "space, facilities, and the number of students and teachers." Official statistics indicate that about 1.3 million students study in these schools, which is equivalent to 11.8% of the total student population in Iran. In these schools, 270,000 managers and teachers are responsible for teaching and planning educational and developmental programs for these students. The eleventh government has seriously prioritized the expansion of private schools in Iran for the past two years. Government officials have stated that the aim of this plan is to "save on educational costs, increase participation in educational-developmental activities, and also compensate for the shortage of staff, especially in deprived areas." In this plan, the Ministry of Education hands over schools with a shortage of students and empty capacities to the private sector to increase efficiency.