Seven Regions of the Country Face School Shortages, Increase in 'School Dropouts' Due to Poverty

Investigations show that the number of school dropouts has reached first graders, and many students have not registered before the academic year. The website 'Payam-e Ma' reported that 'about 23 percent of first graders' did not register last year. Statistics indicate that the number of first graders who have not registered in 1402 has 'increased by 4 percent compared to last year.' The report adds that according to data from the official system of the 'Ministry of Education,' about 50,000 school dropouts have been enrolled for the academic year 1402-1401, but this enrollment has not been significant and will not prevent the growth of the number of dropouts. Mohammad Reza Khah, a member of the Teachers' Trade Association, explained that the increase in dropout rates is due to 'children from poor families contributing financially, and families do not want to lose their financial support.' Khah pointed to economic difficulties, the spread of poverty, and the increase in child labor, stating that 'a child contributes financially to the family, for example, bringing in 10 million for the family and supporting part of the household.' This trade union activist cited another reason for the increase in school dropouts as residents of remote villages without schools, adding, 'For girls, due to the lack of schools or the distance to schools, families do not allow them to study. In these areas, unlike many urban areas, there is no school transport, and I think these are among the factors that lead to many children dropping out of school.' In another report from the government news agency Tasnim, Hamid Reza Khan Mohammadi, head of the Organization for Renovation, Development, and Equipment of Schools, announced that 'seven regions of the country are facing school shortages.' He stated that 'migration is one of the main challenges in school construction,' which has led some schools to operate in two shifts. Statistical investigations show that the trend of dropouts has increased by 18,000 cases in the past year. The Research Center of the Parliament has also stated that 'policies have not been aimed at reducing and ultimately eliminating the dropout statistics.' According to a report from the Statistical Center of Iran, nearly 'one million students' have dropped out of school since the academic year 1402-1401. Earlier, Mohammad Habibi, a teachers' trade union activist, described the performance of Reza Morad Sahraei, the Minister of Education under Ebrahim Raisi, as 'disastrous,' noting that during this period, the number of school dropouts exceeded one million, and the number of 'container schools' also increased. The third day of protests and sit-ins by nurses and healthcare staff in Mashhad, protests by nurses and healthcare staff in Ahvaz: 'We fought with Corona, we received no support.' The housing deposit loan has increased, and landlords have raised rents by 50 percent.