Millions of Dollars Allocated to Iranian Hard-Line School every Year

One of the most hard-line religious schools in Iran was allocated a total of about $29 million from the public budget over the past eight years, an amount equivalent to the expenses of nearly 5,700 Iranian urban households, new research shows.

The collaborative initiative Iran Open Data said in an article published on April 15 that it has examined the budget law of 2016 through the draft budget bill of 2023 and concluded that an average of $3,604,000 were allocated annually to the Imam Khomeini Educational and Research Institute during that period.

Iran Open Data pointed out that the institution most likely receives other funding both from within and outside of the government budget, which is impossible to estimate given lack of transparency.

The Imam Khomeini Educational and Research Institute was founded in 1996 under the general guidance of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and supervision of Mesbah Yazdi, as a center for theoreticians of violence in Iran. Yazdi, who died two years ago, was the godfather of Iran's hard-liners.

The government has reportedly allocated a 7,000 square-meter lot in the religious center of the north-eastern city of Qom for the construction of the institute. 

***

Iran Open Data's article "Iran’s Government Gave Millions to School Run by Controversial Cleric" is available here.

Founded in 2016, Iran Open Data (IOD) strives to make Iran’s official data accessible, available and re-usable. Not only does IOD collect and process raw datasets for researchers and experts, it also publishes exclusive data-driven articles and digital stories for the general public. Additionally, IOD conducts public data calls and surveys on often neglected or taboo issues that are rarely addressed by the government. Follow IOD for all the data-stories concerning Iran.