Education Minister: Studies of Students Following Unofficial Religions Are Prohibited

Mohsen Hajimirza’i, the Minister of Education, on the sidelines of the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, September 20, said regarding the education of students following unofficial religions: “If students declare that they follow religions other than the official religions of the country and this action of theirs is considered a form of propaganda, their education in schools is prohibited.”

It appears that Mr. Hajimirza’i’s remarks were in response to news that some human rights sources released over the past two days regarding the prevention of a Baha’i student from studying at one of the high schools in Semnan.

According to reports from these sources, a high school in Semnan, by order of the provincial Education Department, refused to register a student “named Borna Pirasteh in the third year of high school due to being Baha’i.”

The Education Minister did not provide further clarification on how to declare one’s religion in a way that would not be considered propaganda.

According to Article 30 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran, “the state is obligated to provide free educational and training facilities for all people through the end of secondary school.”

This is while some Baha’i citizens on social media say that merely declaring one’s Baha’i faith causes students and university students to be expelled from educational institutions.

Baha’i citizens in Iran have faced various pressures over the past forty years, including closure of businesses, deprivation of the right to education, destruction of graves, and detention and imprisonment.

Source: Radio Farda