New Restrictions Prevent Stateless Iranian Children from Accessing Education in Border Provinces

The recent policy changes from Iran’s Education Ministry have raised significant concerns regarding the education of undocumented Iranian children. These new restrictions effectively prevent children without official birth certificates from enrolling in schools, particularly impacting regions like Sistan and Baluchestan. This situation exacerbates existing issues of educational inequality and social exclusion, worrying educators, families, and human rights advocates alike.

As reported by the daily Etemad on October 4, school officials in Sistan and Baluchestan have started denying enrollment to children lacking birth certificates. This move contradicts a 2017 government decree that permitted schools to accept students using a temporary “identity declaration” form issued by local authorities. The Education Ministry now cites “special security conditions after the 12-day war” as justification for these new rules.

This sudden policy change, which commenced at the start of the academic year, has already resulted in the removal of hundreds of students—many of whom were previously enrolled—from the educational system.

A Long-Standing Crisis of Identity and Poverty

According to estimates from Iran’s parliament in 2017, approximately one million individuals lack national identification documents, including around 400,000 children. Many of these individuals reside in Sistan and Baluchestan, a province with deep-rooted historical, geographical, and cultural factors contributing to their lack of official identity.

Several factors contribute to this crisis:

• Illiteracy among parents.
• Home births that go unregistered.
• Long distances to registration offices.
• Lack of awareness regarding civil documentation.

The pervasive poverty in these remote areas further complicates matters. In some villages, the number of people without identity papers continues to grow annually.

In 2024, a member of the Dashtiari District Council indicated that 98 percent of undocumented residents belong to the most impoverished segments of society. These families are excluded from basic rights such as:

• Bank accounts
• Social subsidies
• Online services

Now, they are facing exclusion from education, which had been one of their last remaining avenues for improvement.

Tens of Thousands Denied Education

Local education officials estimate that a significant number of out-of-school children in Iran are concentrated in Sistan and Baluchestan. Last year, provincial education director Hassan Broushki announced that 10,000 children had been reintegrated into schools. However, as the 2024–25 academic year begins, around 40,000 elementary-aged children remain without schooling, not including those without identity documents. Independent estimates suggest that the actual number could exceed 100,000.

Official data indicates that:

• 148,769 children and adolescents aged 7 to 18 in Sistan and Baluchestan lack access to formal education.
• This includes 81,325 girls and 67,444 boys.
• This represents roughly 14 percent of the province’s youth population.

Furthermore, dropout rates in upper secondary school have soared to 24 percent, meaning nearly one in four teenagers aged 15–17 never returns to the classroom.

Structural Roots and Social Risks

Experts caution that the denial of education to undocumented children is not merely an administrative issue; it poses a significant social and security threat. Children deprived of educational opportunities due to poverty, discrimination, or lack of identity face elevated risks of:

• Psychological harm
• Social marginalization
• Criminal exploitation later in life

In border areas where statelessness is prevalent, this dynamic can further destabilize communities and erode social cohesion. Coupled with chronic shortages of teachers and schools, child marriage, and weak family support systems, the new registration restrictions have pushed the region’s education system to the brink of collapse.

Regime Inaction and Broken Promises

The new policy starkly contradicts the promises made by Masoud Pezeshkian, the regime’s president, who pledged to enhance “justice in education and healthcare.” His recent comments—“Imagine there is no government; find your own way to educate your children”—have been interpreted as an acknowledgment of state failure.

In contemporary Iran, where governance paralysis intersects with deepening inequality, stateless and excluded children have become the silent victims of a regime unable to provide even the most fundamental rights. Their plight represents not just a personal tragedy but also a looming threat to the social stability and national future of Iran.