Iran’s Donya-e-Eqtesad newspaper highlighted the impact of inflation on education in the new school year, reporting that 110,000 first-graders were unable to start school due to rising costs of supplies and tuition. The September 14 report noted a 50% increase in elementary textbook prices compared to last year, while stationery prices rose by at least 20%. A middle-class family now needs at least 30 million rials (about $50) to cover basic school expenses, excluding items like backpacks and uniforms, with the minimum wage in Iran being about $180 per month.
The expected first-grade enrollment has dropped to 1.495 million, down by 110,000 from last year, due to the escalating costs, the newspaper reported. Mohsen Golestani, head of the Union of Stationery and Engineering Supplies Sellers, explained that rising prices are influenced by imported raw materials, wage increases, higher bank interest rates, and power outages affecting production. The latter issue caused a drop in output during the summer, further driving up stationery prices.
Golestani also noted that many families, facing reduced purchasing power, are spreading out their school supply purchases over the year. Meanwhile, official data shows inconsistency in dropout figures. A recent report from the Deputy Minister of Primary Education said 216,243 children were out of school, with only 31,518 returning. However, other reports indicate that nearly 911,000 children, including 400,000 primary school students, are out of school, largely due to financial difficulties. Regardless of the exact numbers, the trend of children dropping out or not enrolling in school due to poverty is growing, with 70% of dropouts coming from the lowest income brackets.
