The number of Baha'i students deprived of education in Iran has increased again.
Reports published in human rights media indicate that the number of Baha'i citizens deprived of education, under the pretext of "defects in the case file," has once again increased this year.
According to some sources, as the university entrance exams approached and the new academic year approached, a number of Baha'i citizens were denied entry to the university, as in previous years, under various pretexts, including "defects in their file," and contrary to the regulations of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
According to published news, the identities of 22 Baha'i citizens who were left out of continuing their university education have been confirmed so far.
Last year, at least 58 Baha'i students who were accepted into the national entrance exam were faced with the phrase "file defect" when they tried to register. In fact, Baha'is are barred from continuing their studies at university, except in certain cases, unless they hide or deny their adherence to Baha'i faith.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and South African social activist, issued a statement in the winter of 2014 condemning the Iranian government's move to prevent the Baha'i community from pursuing higher education. Part of the statement reads, "We can tell the Iranian government and the world that depriving Baha'is, or any other group, of the right to pursue higher education harms Iran itself and the Iranian people, because apartheid has taught us that any discrimination harms everyone."
Also, part of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which the Iranian government is also required to follow, concerns the right to education; part of Article 26 of this declaration states that access to higher education should be equal for all individuals and based on individual merit.
However, on Wednesday, September 10, Education Minister Mohsen Haji Mirzaei said on the sidelines of a cabinet meeting that if students state that they are followers of religions other than the country's official religions and their actions are considered a form of propaganda, their education in schools will be prohibited.
International human rights organizations and the United States Department of State have repeatedly condemned the Islamic Republic government's treatment of Baha'is and violations of their civil rights.
In the Iran section of the US State Department's annual report on religious freedom in the world, it is stated that in Iran, Baha'is are prohibited from having their own educational institutions, Baha'i students are prohibited from studying in universities, and if their religion is discovered after graduation, they are expelled from the university.
Source: Voice of America
