The latest results from Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) and Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) tests reveal an alarming decline in the educational standards of Iranian students. Ranking among the lowest in the world, Iran’s education system is a cause of great concern.
The IAAAP, which measures reading ability at the fourth-grade level worldwide, released the PIRLS 2021 exam results in June 2023. The results indicate that Iranian students scored a distressing 413 in reading ability, placing them last among 57 participating countries. The deteriorating education system has further aggravated gender disparities in Iran, with girls’ performance on the decline since 2016. This stark contrast differs from most other countries where girls typically outperform boys.
In a disturbing trend, less than 60% of Iranian students met the minimum standard score of 400. The continuous decline in scores since 2011 reflects a state of educational crisis, with girls being disproportionately affected.
Additional data from TIMSS emphasizes the educational inequalities in Iran. Over the past quarter-century, a significant drop in the country’s educational justice has been observed. This, coupled with a staggering report showing more than 911,000 Iranian students lacking access to education, underscores the urgent need for reform.
According to education researcher Hamid Rafiee, flawed educational policies and the deployment of untrained teachers have given rise to an efficiency crisis. Masoud Kabiri, a board member of the Academic Center for Education, Culture, and Research, further elucidates this issue, stating that one-third of Iranian students do not reach basic literacy levels.
The primary reasons attributed to this failing system include ineffective educational methods, financial hardships faced by students, lack of educational infrastructure, and a widening cultural gap between schools and students.
There is a collective agreement among experts that the Iranian government’s neglectful policies, which include the allocation of resources to ideological teachings instead of teachers’ training and upskilling, are leading to the systematic deterioration of the educational system.
Given the prevailing conditions, teachers have taken to protests, demanding trade union rights and highlighting the state of educational inequality and deteriorating quality. Regrettably, their calls for reform have been met with severe backlash, including imprisonment and assault by security forces.
The arrest of students during 2022-2023 protests, suspicious poisoning incidents at schools, and security force raids underscore the urgent need for systemic reforms. Only then can the potential of Iran’s students be truly realized.
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