Media Reports on Dropout Rates for Daily Bread; One Million Six Hundred Thousand Have Dropped Out of School

Iranian media report widespread school dropouts among students, especially boys, due to economic reasons; these reasons have various aspects, and many enter the job market because of a lack of a clear outlook after graduation. The newspaper Shargh reported today, Sunday, October 1, stating: "Education has lost its economic function. Until 20 or even 10 years ago, education was the best opportunity for advancement and social mobility, but currently, individuals cannot achieve class mobility by pursuing higher education." According to this newspaper, "Students consider dropping out and entering the job market as a win for themselves and view attending classes as a loss." Afshar Kabiri, the director of the Social and Cultural Affairs Office of West Azerbaijan Province, stated on September 25 that this province has a dropout rate of 10%, making it the second highest in the country. He noted that the situation regarding dropout statistics is not favorable, as the number of dropouts has increased from 776,000 students in 2016 to 1,662,000 today. Thus, reviewing the published statistics in this regard seems concerning, as data from the Statistical Center indicates that nearly one million students dropped out last academic year, primarily due to economic issues. In this context, the Research Center of the Parliament announced in August this year that policies have not been aimed at reducing and ultimately eliminating dropout statistics. The newspaper Khorasan reported on August 2, stating that undoubtedly, finding answers to the conditions under which students drop out is neither hard nor complex. Khorasan emphasized that "economic hardship and poverty are the main factors contributing to school dropouts," a point that the Research Center of the Parliament has also confirmed, stating that "households in the lower deciles, lacking insurance, poor, and without stable income, are more likely to face dropout situations." The trend of dropouts has intensified in recent years, primarily attributed to inflation exceeding 40% in recent years. In this regard, the Research Center of the Parliament announced in the year 1401 that "the number of students dropping out in the 1401-1400 academic year has exceeded 911,000." At the same time, the newspaper Donya-e-Eqtesad reported: "Comparing this number with dropouts in the past six years shows a 17% increase." This incident, according to Donya-e-Eqtesad, indicates that economic problems are one of the main factors, and it can be said that the expansion of poverty plays a significant role in the deprivation of education for Iranians. Forough Kananian: The dropout of children in Iran is the most disgraceful behavior of the government towards the builders of the future. Media reports on the teacher shortage crisis in elementary education. 10% of students in West Azerbaijan Province have dropped out; the total number of dropouts in the country has reached 1.6 million. A newspaper reported that 110,000 first graders have dropped out due to rising costs.