According to information received by the Hana Human Rights Organization, on Sunday, October 11, 2026, officials at the public 15 Khordad Elementary School in Oshnavieh distributed forms among students requesting financial contributions from their families to cover school expenses. The forms listed a total of 337 million tomans for painting classrooms, repairing equipment, completing restroom facilities, and meeting other basic school needs.
This action comes at a time when the consequences of war and the worsening cost-of-living crisis have placed many families under severe financial strain. While the Islamic Republic claims to provide free education, shifting the basic operating costs of public schools onto families exposes the government’s inability to fulfill one of its most fundamental responsibilities toward children.
Under Article 30 of Iran’s Constitution and Article 28 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the provision of free primary education is a government obligation. Imposing educational expenses on families, particularly amid poverty and economic crisis, can jeopardize children’s equal right to education—a right that must not depend on their parents’ financial capacity.