Hamidreza Khan-Mohammadi, Deputy Minister of Education, has announced that more than a fifth of the country’s students, equivalent to 3.5 million, study in dangerous schools.
On December 13, Khan-Mohammadi mentioned that the country has a student population of 16 million and claimed that an additional 3.5 million square meters of educational space has been added to address the issue of risky classrooms.
However, according to Nasser Ghofli, the head of the School-Building Charity Society, the government has been unsuccessful in completing school construction projects through the efforts of charities.
In October, Nasser Ghofli stated that charities had paid for the construction of 3,500 schools, which include 100,000 risky classrooms where 3.5 million students are studying, but the government has been unable to complete the projects.
The government’s inability to ensure the safety of classrooms for more than one-fifth of the students is occurring despite the fact that Iranian authorities have always prioritized the promotion of religion and the hijab in schools.
Hamidreza Khan-Mohammadi, the Deputy Minister of Education, stated that the country’s elementary schools have been transformed into “punishment centers” through the deployment of “teachers linked to the IRGC and religious centers.”
The Ministry of Education also announced on December 11 that it intends to take special measures to promote the hijab among students during a meeting of the fashion and clothing working group.
Mohammad Hossein Pourthani, the Cultural Director General of the Ministry of Education, emphasized the need for students to be familiar with Iranian Islamic fashion and clothing, stating, “A circular in this regard has been issued to all schools in the country in early Mehr month (September-October).”
Earlier November, he had said that the Ministry of Education intends to promote the hijab among students through the broadcasting of television programs, 24-hour camps, the training of chaste mentors, and incentive programs.
The head of the working group known as Fashion and Clothing Organization also stated during the meeting, “We are trying to familiarize students with Iranian Islamic behavioral patterns, codes, and symbols in the field of clothing.”
However, according to reports from state-run media outlets, the dropout rates in primary and middle school levels have increased. According to the regime’s IRNA news agency’s report on September 30, the dropout rate in elementary school has increased by approximately 20 percent, and in middle school, it has increased by about 50 percent.
On the other hand, as a result of ideological and governmental policies implemented in the education system, some educational staff members in the country have been forced into early retirement, and many have been dismissed against their will.
