TEHRAN –Out of 152,287 out-of-school children aged 6 to 11 identified across the country, about 29,000 have enrolled at schools, an official with the Ministry of Education has said.

Focusing on educational equity, the Ministry of Education has developed a program, namely the four stages of identification, attraction, support, and retention, IRNA quoted Rezvan Hakimzadeh as saying.

According to the latest report, out of 152,287 identified out-of-school primary school students, 130,000 have not registered in any school, she noted.

Sistan-Baluchestan, Tehran, Khorasan Razavi, and Khuzestan provinces have the highest number of out-of-school children, while Ilam, Semnan, Zanjan, and Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari provinces have the lowest number. 

Economic and cultural problems, immigration, distance to school, family prejudice, illnesses, or even death are among the main causes preventing children from attending school. In some cases, students attend informal centers that are not officially registered, the official said.

Dropout rate declines in schools over two years

According to a report released by the Ministry of Education, the dropout rate has lowered from 1.97 percent in Iranian year 1401 (2022-2023) to 1.65 percent in 1403 (2024-2025).

The dropout rate in the academic year 1401-1402 (September 2022 – June 2023) amounted to 287,617 children, with 0.97 percent (87,544 students) in primary school, 4.09 percent (149,288 students) in lower secondary school, and 2.59 percent (50,785 students) in upper secondary school.

In the next academic year, the dropout rate was about 1.65 percent, accounting for 247,242 children of whom 0.91 percent (84,001 students) were in primary school, 3.47 percent (130,432 students) in the lower secondary school, and 1.65 percent (32,809 students) in the upper secondary school.

During the same period, the number of out-of-school students rose from 902,188 to 928,729. 

In the academic year 1401-1402, out of 902,188 out-of-school children, 156,835, 195,568, and 549,785 were in primary school, lower secondary school, and upper secondary school, respectively.

However, in the next academic year (September 2023 – June 2024), the number of out-of-school children came to 928,729 students. Some 171,992, 198,109, and 558,628 students were in primary school, lower secondary school, and upper secondary school, respectively.

Out-of-school students are classified as those who have not enrolled in a school year, it includes children who may have passed away, immigrated, or those who suffer from severe mental retardation.

Compared to previous decades, the educational coverage index in Iran, particularly in the primary school, has improved, reaching about 98 percent.

Despite these efforts, the number of dropouts and out-of-school students indicates failure in fully achieving literacy goals.

MT/MG