Homeland Report on 'Illiteracy Catastrophe' in Iran; Many High School Students Don't Know Multiplication Tables

On Sunday, September 2, the newspaper Homeland published a report titled 'Illiteracy Catastrophe,' examining a 'wave of illiteracy' among students in the country, particularly in the provinces of Sistan and Baluchestan, South Khorasan, and Khuzestan. The report begins with an official statement regarding the average final exam scores across the provinces, indicating a 'very unfavorable situation' in all provinces. According to the report, there is a 'very severe educational decline' nationwide, such that 'in provinces like Sistan and Baluchestan, Kerman, Hormozgan, Fars, Bushehr, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, Lorestan, Ilam, Kermanshah, Kurdistan, West Azerbaijan, Gilan, Golestan, North Khorasan, and Khuzestan, the average final exam scores for all theoretical fields are below 10.' Illiteracy affects 25% of sixth-grade students in Sistan and Baluchestan, which has the most critical conditions among all provinces. According to a teacher in this province, for every 20 students transitioning from sixth to seventh grade, at least four or five cannot read or write at all. The report cites teachers from Baluchestan attributing the dire educational conditions to a lack of adequate educational facilities, severe poverty among students and their families, and educational discrimination and inequality. According to Danesh Dadollah Zahi, a secondary school teacher in Iranshahr, Sistan and Baluchestan, 'A primary school student must walk 10-12 kilometers to reach a school. A secondary school student has no school within 20-30 kilometers.' The newspaper also quotes Mina Kamran, a social activist, reporting that the quality of education is very low, and 'in rural areas of Sistan and Baluchestan, many high school students do not know multiplication tables. Many have not learned basic and primary lessons, and some do not even know addition and subtraction.' The report continues with a quote from the principal of a primary school in South Khorasan, who requested anonymity due to fear of 'security follow-ups,' stating: 'Some students do not come to school at all due to economic poverty. Sometimes we struggle to bring them and seat them in class... The issue is harder for girls. When they reach middle school, they have to drop out because they need to go to another city to study, and families cannot afford the school transport costs. They either get married or stay at home.' Regarding the formation of a 'wave of illiteracy,' he said: 'Students tell us why they should study. They want to become truck drivers like their fathers. Ultimately, they want a diploma to obtain a basic driving license and become drivers.' Pyruz Nami, a teacher at a school in Khuzestan, told Homeland that the oil-rich province faces severe issues such as a lack of educational tools and facilities, teachers' lack of focus on education due to very low salaries, and a dire economic situation. According to the report, 'the computer class that Mr. Nami teaches started the school year with 32 students, about 17-18 of whom drop out by the end of the year.' This teacher described the very dire economic situation in Khuzestan, saying: 'One school asked families of students to pay 600,000 tomans for one school year; as soon as this was announced, 15 families took their children's files.' Iran is one of the richest countries in the world in terms of natural and underground resources. Experts believe that the theocratic government of the Islamic Republic, over four and a half decades of rule in Iran, has squandered tens of billions of dollars of Iran's wealth on its adventurous and ideological policies instead of investing in the country's vast human resources and optimally utilizing Iran's resources for sustainable growth and development, and now lacks the capacity to address the ongoing massive economic, political, social, and environmental crises. 'Seven points in the country' face a shortage of schools, an increase in 'dropout' children due to poverty, a reduction in the education budget coinciding with over 900,000 children dropping out of school, the suicide of a girl student due to inability to cover university expenses, protests by teachers in at least 10 cities in Iran despite government threats and promises, a Ministry of Education official stating that 216,000 first-cycle secondary students have dropped out, the beginning of the school year in impoverished areas with classrooms lacking desks and benches, and a 50% increase in the price of school supplies; the school year begins with rising costs for students.