The Iranian member of parliament for Urmia has announced a surge in the number of students who dropped out of school due in West Azerbaijan province.
In an interview with Tasnim News Agency, Seyed Salman Zakir said the main reason for this worrying trend was rising levels of poverty amid the coronavirus pandemic, as well as recent hikes in tuition fees.
"The education budget has not been distributed fairly by the Ministry [of Education],” he said, “and the government and parliament must address these discrepancies and take action.”
The number of pupils dropping out of school early has been rising steadily over the past eight years. According to the Statistical Center of Iran, the nationwide middle and secondary school dropout rate increased to 4.4 percent in the 2018/19 academic year.
The MP for Urmia added that in his view, ingrained cultural issues such as the prevalence of child marriages across Iran were also contributing to the problem. “Unfortunately, West Azerbaijan is no exception here," he said.
Compounding the problem, Seyed Salman Zakir said, was the fact that demand for educational facilities in West Azerbaijan had now outstripped the number of places available in schools. He called on the government and NGOs to help resolve the matter.
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