As the new academic year approaches, Iranian media is reporting that 790,000 students have yet to register for school. This alarming figure comes just one day before the official start of the academic term.
According to a report by the Tasnim News Agency on Saturday, September 21, an education official revealed that 890,000 students have not ordered their textbooks, with only 100,000 of them having successfully registered for school. This data was provided by Mohammad Alavitabar, deputy of the Educational Research and Planning Organization, who described the situation as “unprecedented.”
Tasnim also noted that some public schools have refused to enroll students due to either “poor grades” or a “lack of available capacity.” Additionally, previous reports indicated that some parents encountered obstacles when attempting to register their children for entry-level grades, such as first, seventh, and tenth grades, due to difficulties caused by school administrators.
As of September 8, the Ministry of Education’s deputy of secondary education announced that only 87% of students had registered for the 10th grade, leaving 13% still undecided.
Further statistics from the Ministry of Education indicate that the number of students in the primary school system is approximately 9.2 million, while the number of students in lower secondary school is 3.8 million, and upper secondary school stands at 2.9 million.
This situation is part of a broader issue in Iran’s education system. In September last year, the Resalat newspaper, which is aligned with the ruling faction, reported a 17% increase in the number of children and teenagers who had dropped out of school over a six-year period.
The rising dropout rates have been attributed to socioeconomic factors. Last year, the Iranian Teachers’ Organization and the Assembly of educators issued a statement attributing the surge in dropouts to the widening class gap, poverty, and systemic inequality within the education system.
