Iran’s education system is rapidly moving toward class stratification. Built on profiteering and political interests, this system sees neither the regime nor the government fulfilling their responsibilities in this sector. In practice, underprivileged families cannot afford their children’s education. This situation endangers the future of upcoming generations.
Most families with school-age children face the challenge of finding a suitable school. The number of public schools is generally low. Due to overcrowding and lack of resources, the quality of education in public schools has declined.
As a result, families are forced to enroll their children in private schools. One or two decades ago, getting into these schools was relatively easy. Now, these schools only accept students who meet their standards.
Educational Disaster in Iran: 70% of Students Suffering from Learning Poverty
Most private schools only enroll students who pass their own entrance exams. In a city like Tabriz, tuition for lower secondary school ranges from 500 million to 1.2 billion rials. Meanwhile, the minimum monthly wage for a worker with two children barely reaches 150 million rials (approximately $170).
Problems in Iran’s Education System
Developed countries place special emphasis on education. Today, when we speak of a successful nation, we refer to a standardized education system that has successfully nurtured competent economic, political, cultural, and social actors.
Today, Iran’s education is plagued by unchecked missteps in teaching and upbringing. This sector suffers from a lack of accountability and abdication of decision-making. Relevant officials show no willingness to undertake foundational and demanding reforms.
Privatization has resulted in a significant portion of the education system operating independently of the government. These private entities fund themselves. Iran’s education sector has been completely abandoned. With this growing divide, the regime’s education ministry no longer takes responsibility for proper oversight.
The autonomy of the private education sector in Iran poses yet another major issue. This problem is separate from the challenges of educational paradigms, curriculum content, and ethical concerns within these institutions.
May 19—Kermanshah, western Iran
Retired teachers and educators hold protest rally in front of the local offices of the education ministry, demanding better management of the Teachers’ Savings Fund and recognition of their ownership rights.#IranProtests pic.twitter.com/cSb9rZyTB1— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) May 19, 2025
Some of these schools are essentially preying on the wealth of the affluent class. They place less value on actual education and are instead designed to train “white-collar” elites for the regime.
Every private school and educational institution target a specific social class and demographic. They generally do not admit students from other backgrounds. These institutions are primarily governed by political economy and profit-making. Educational and developmental concerns are subordinated to this shadow economy.
Another issue is the unhealthy competition that prevails among students at these institutions. In some cases, all human, ethical, and educational principles are disregarded. The only goal is to secure top ranks in the university entrance exams.
Education: The Starting Point of Society’s Class Division
The current model of education will leave no future for Iran. Many children are forced to drop out of school because their families cannot afford the high costs of education.
Many others do not attend university at all. Conversely, some families send their children to universities abroad—most of whom do not return. This dynamic place the country at risk of social and cultural collapse.
This kind of pre-destruction of a nation’s future is unprecedented in the world. Iran’s regime stands out in this regard, taking the country down a path to nowhere.
In this area, the policy failures and negative outcomes are so glaring that they cannot even be compared to the worst-performing countries.
The reason is that the regime has abandoned this sector altogether. It continues to make only short-term, stopgap decisions and merely drifts along day by day.
This is only a part of what is happening in Iran’s education sector. The core issue is the abandonment of education by the Iranian regime. Although a decade has passed since the consequences of this neglect began to show, the regime and government still refuse to take responsibility. This indifference will have irreversible consequences for the country’s future and will deepen social divides.
