In the Shadow of Poverty and Deprivation; 3 Million Students Drop Out of School in the Country
The Minister of Education stated that 3 million students dropped out of school during the 2019-2020 academic year. According to him, the residence of students in deprived areas lacking internet access and the lack of access to educational tools have been major reasons for students dropping out of school. Furthermore, the Director General of Education in Razavi Khorasan Province noted that this province, with a share of 40,000 students, accounts for the highest rate of school dropout in the country.
According to Hrana news agency, citing Hamshahri newspaper, approximately 3 million students dropped out of school during the 2019-2020 academic year.
Based on this report, the Minister of Education, while confirming the mentioned statistics, stated that a significant share of students who dropped out during the 2019-2020 academic year are children or adolescents who either lack access to smart devices such as mobile phones and tablets or live in areas without internet.
Ghasem Ali Khodabandeh, Director General of Education in Razavi Khorasan Province, while noting that Razavi Khorasan has the highest dropout rate among provinces in the country, emphasized: 40,000 students in this province dropped out during the 2019-2020 academic year, many of whom live in deprived areas of Khorasan. Additionally, the high cost of smart devices such as mobile phones, tablets, laptops, and internet expenses were other reasons for these students’ dropout; while an Iranian smartphone in Tehran market costs at least 6 million tomans.
Beyond this, Hasanali Asghari, Director General of Education in Qazvin Province, stated in this regard: 2,000 students have dropped out at the provincial level, of which 1,227 are in secondary level and 773 are in primary school.
Ahmad Eskandari Nasab, Director General of Education in Kerman Province, also reported the number of students who dropped out at the first secondary level as 4,510 students and added: 3,677 out of 65,000 seven-year-old children did not go to school for registration at the first primary level.
Mahdiyeh Yaarali, an educational expert, stating that if it were not for the scattered assistance of philanthropists and concerned individuals, student dropout would have doubled compared to the current figures, added: The Ministry of Education was obliged to provide smart devices for teaching to all teachers and students, but not only did it fail to do so, but it also caused them, in this harsh economic condition, to pay excessive costs from their own pockets to purchase mobile phones or tablets.
The 2019-2020 academic year ended while the outlook for the next academic year remains unclear for teachers, students, and their parents.
Source: Hrana
