Voice of America, December 20, 2015
The causes of failure are poverty and the fact that the native language is not Persian.
According to the Deputy Minister of Primary Education in Iran, Western Azerbaijan is the second most failing province in Iran in terms of students being held back in primary school. The primary reasons for this failure are the non-Persian native language, as well as the lack of sufficient classrooms and teachers.
"The number of students repeating grades in Tehran province's primary schools is lower. Unfortunately, the highest failure rates are seen in Sistan-Baluchestan, Western Azerbaijan, and Hormozgan provinces. The reasons for this include not participating in preschool programs, being bilingual, overcrowded classrooms, and the lack of sufficient teachers," said Mohammad Dimevari, as reported by the Mehr news agency.
In the Islamic Republic of Iran, the term "bilingual students" is used for non-Persian speaking students, and their problems are often presented as the "bilingualism problem in education" in seminars organized about the education system.
According to statements published by experts and international human rights organizations, the lack of education in the mother tongue causes non-Persian students to face various difficulties during their education. Some studies report that due to these difficulties, many students drop out before completing their education.
Hamid Reza Hachibabaei, who served as Iran's Minister of Education between 2009 and 2013, explained the issue faced by non-Persian students in Iran: "70 percent of the country's students are bilingual. Their native language does not turn into Persian after entering school and finishing the first grade... A student who faces educational failure in the first grade will not succeed until the end."