KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) reports that out of over 1.5 million Afghan children in Iran, only 600,000 are enrolled in schools.
In a report shared on World Refugee Day, June 20, by NRC Secretary General Jan Egeland, it was stated that the number of Afghan children enrolled in schools across Iran has decreased from the previous year due to more restrictive enrollment measures and higher tuition fees.
The NRC chief expressed gratitude to the European Commission and other donors for supporting education projects for Afghan refugees in Iran, helping them overcome barriers and exercise their right to education.
“Thanks to this assistance, our teams will continue to assist more out-of-school Afghan children,” the NRC chief said. “We’re helping children continue their education and realise their right to learn,” he added.
Islamic Republic of Iran has been a host to over 4.5 million Afghan refugees for decades, with a third of them being children. UN estimates indicate that over 1.5 million Afghan children currently reside in Iran, with a significant portion of them arrived in the country after the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021.
Afghan refugees, particularly women and children arriving in Iran, face numerous challenges and obstacles, including limited access to education and healthcare services.
In a decree in 2015, the Iranian Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, emphasized that all Afghan children should have access to public education regardless of their legal status. While this decree significantly improved access for Afghan children, many challenges persist, especially for girls.
The NRC says that while all children, including Afghan refugees, are theoretically allowed to enroll in the Iranian public education system, they encounter several challenges in practice. “These include learning gaps, financial constraints, bureaucratic red tape and cultural barriers.”
“The journey of each Afghan refugee is different, but all of them have overcome multiple challenges to access services such as education in their new home,” NRC said.
“To reach Iran, many have taken extremely dangerous routes, often without valid entrance documentation. And in the absence of this documentation, they are unable to enroll in school upon arrival,” the organization added.
