Media in Iran are reporting widespread school dropout rates, especially among boys, due to economic hardships. Many students leave school and enter the job market because of a lack of future prospects after completing their education.
On Sunday, September 22, Shargh newspaper, in a report coinciding with the reopening of schools in Iran, wrote: “Education has lost its economic value. Ten or twenty years ago, education was the best way to advance and move up the social ladder, but now, higher education no longer provides such upward mobility.”
The newspaper added, “Students consider dropping out and entering the job market a victory for themselves, while they view attending classes as a loss.”
Afshar Kabiri, Director-General of Social and Cultural Affairs of the West Azerbaijan Governorate, stated on September 15 that with a 10% dropout rate, West Azerbaijan is the second-highest province in the country in terms of school dropouts. He said, “We do not have a good situation in terms of dropout statistics, as the number of students who have dropped out has increased from 776,000 in 2016 to 1,662,000.”
A review of the published statistics in this area appears concerning, as data from the Statistical Center of Iran shows that nearly one million students dropped out of school last year, with economic issues being the main reason.
In this regard, the regime’s Majlis (parliament) Research Center reported in August 2024 that policies aimed at reducing and eventually eliminating dropout rates have not been effectively implemented.
On August 1, Khorasan newspaper published a report emphasizing that finding the reasons behind student dropouts is not difficult or complicated.
Khorasan pointed out, “The pain of poverty and livelihood issues are the most significant factors driving students to drop out.”
The Majlis Research Center confirmed this, stating, “Households in the lower income deciles, without insurance, in poverty, or lacking a stable income, are more prone to having children drop out of school.”
The trend of dropping out of school has intensified in recent years, primarily due to inflation, which has exceeded 40% in recent years. In 2022, the Majlis Research Center reported that “the number of students who dropped out of school during the 2021-2022 school year reached over 911,000.”
At the time, Donya-e-Eqtesad newspaper wrote, “Comparing this figure with the number of dropouts in the past six years shows a 17% increase.”
According to Donya-e-Eqtesad, “Economic problems are one of the main factors, and it can be said that the expansion of poverty has played a significant role in depriving Iranians of education.”
