Scholarships.af | April 2025

In a controversial move, the Tehran Education Department has officially barred Afghan students holding temporary census documents or repatriation papers from enrolling in schools for the 1404–1405 academic year (2025–2026). This decision, issued via directive No. 482/18591/340 from the Center for International Affairs and Schools Abroad, has sparked widespread concern among Afghan refugee families in Iran.

According to the Iranian Students Correspondence Association (ISCA), schools have been instructed not only to deny registration to these students but also to refrain from referring affected families to the education department. For many Afghan families—whose children have previously studied in Iranian schools with the same documentation—this decision raises fears about the future of their children’s education.

Critics have pointed out that the decision contradicts Iran’s obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which it joined in 1994. Article 28 of the Convention mandates that every child, regardless of legal status, must have access to education without discrimination.

Additionally, as reported by Zan Times in January this year, new registration guidelines require Afghan students to possess a valid ten-digit identity code registered in the “Sahma” system. However, many families have either not received this code or failed to complete the verification process, further complicating access to education.

This move appears to conflict with both international commitments and domestic declarations—most notably a 2015 directive from Iran’s Supreme Leader guaranteeing the right to education for all children, regardless of status.

The implications of this decision are far-reaching, potentially depriving thousands of Afghan children of their fundamental right to education and deepening the social and economic divides faced by refugee communities in Iran.

Tags: Afghan Refugees, Iran Education Policy, Right to Education, UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, Scholarships for Afghans, School Enrollment Ban

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