Masoumeh Najafi Pazuki, the Deputy Minister of Education for Primary Education, highlighted a concerning trend on Friday, January 26, revealing that approximately 30,000 students with disabilities are unable to attend school due to prevailing restrictions. This issue underscores a broader challenge faced by children with physical and movement disabilities, particularly in smaller towns and remote areas, where inadequate school adaptations have led to denials and forced dropouts.
Over recent years, numerous reports have surfaced, shedding light on the plight of children with physical and movement disabilities abandoning their education due to school inadequacies. Ramek Heydari, CEO of the Association for the Support of Dystrophy Patients, recently disclosed that 80% of children with this condition have discontinued their education, underscoring the unsuitability of the country’s schools for individuals with disabilities.
Beyond those with disabilities, a significant number of students have faced barriers to education. Najafi Pazuki, in an interview with IRNA news agency, acknowledged the Ministry of Education’s lack of accurate statistics concerning these children. She referenced an early 2022 census that initially indicated 200,000 students leaving school, later revealing discrepancies due to deaths, emigration, or flawed registration systems.
As per the latest statistics, approximately 140,000 students have dropped out of primary education, according to Najafi Pazuki. IRNA news agency reported that in Mehr 2022, around 900,000 students across the country missed out on education, with over 204,000 in elementary school alone.
In September 2022, the Research Center of the regime’s parliament published a report on the increasing dropout rates from 2014 to 2021, revealing a 26% rise over the seven-year period. Sistan and Baluchistan province experienced the highest number of school dropouts, attributed to limited school access and reliance on temporary dwelling (Kapar) schools in villages situated 20 to 50 kilometers away.
During this timeframe, over 600,000 children dropped out of primary school, and when accounting for high school students, the cumulative number surpasses two million individuals. In September of 2022, Yusef Nouri, the regime’s former Minister of Education, cited the 2016 census results, revealing that 8,795,000 people—more than one-tenth of Iran’s population—are entirely illiterate, further emphasizing the depth of the educational challenges faced by the nation.
