Related posts
A new report by the Research Center of the Iranian Parliament, led by Atiyeh Vahidmanesh, an assistant professor at the University of Tehran, shows that economic poverty and reduced education budgets have severely lowered the quality of schools. The average grades of 12th-grade students have fallen below 10 over the past two years, and the dropout rate has increased significantly.
Official statistics indicate that around 30% of Iran’s population lives below the poverty line—meaning roughly one in every three people is poor. This figure was about 20% in the 2010s, but due to sanctions and high inflation, it has risen to 30%.
Rising prices and the increasing cost of living have led families to cut a significant portion of their education expenses. The share of education costs in urban households’ budgets has dropped from 2.1% to 0.8% over the past 20 years.
This is concerning because education is the key to breaking the cycle of poverty. Poor families that can provide education for their children have a better chance of improving their economic situation, but budget cuts and economic challenges trap the next generation in poverty and educational disadvantage.
The report’s findings indicate that despite improved access to education, its quality has declined due to sanctions, economic problems, and the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in underprivileged areas.
In the 2023–2024 academic year, over 928,000 children were recorded as having dropped out of school—200,000 more than the previous year. The main reason for dropping out is financial hardship, which has forced children to leave school to help support their families.
Factors affecting the decline in education quality include high class density, a shortage of qualified teachers, and reduced education budgets. Iran’s education budget is lower than the global average; the share of education in the government budget in 2023 was about 10.53%, which is below the global average.
Educational inequality is serious; the illiteracy rate in villages is more than twice that of cities. Sistan and Baluchestan, Kurdistan, and West Azerbaijan provinces have the highest illiteracy rates.
Statistics show that the highest dropout rate occurs at the upper secondary level, where economic pressures push students toward leaving school.
The average scores of 12th-grade students in nationwide exams have dropped significantly, with only Yazd province having an average score above 12. International tests also show that Iranian students perform poorly in math and reading comprehension compared to global standards.
The report concludes that with ongoing economic problems and expanding poverty, there is no clear outlook for improving Iran’s educational situation, and without immediate action, illiteracy, dropout rates, and declines in education quality will increase.
The Research Center of the Parliament recommends that the Ministry of Education, in cooperation with the Ministry of Cooperatives, Labor, and Social Welfare and support organizations such as the Imam Khomeini Relief Foundation, the Welfare Organization, and NGOs, identify and support low-income households and implement special educational programs to reduce educational poverty.
