In its General Comment on Article 13 of the Convention, the Committee on Economic Social and Cultural Rights stipulates that education should be accessible for all and “flexible so it can adapt to the needs of changing societies and communities and respond to the needs of students within their diverse social and cultural settings.” 47 In 2012, reportedly 70% of students who started their education in the Islamic Republic of Iran did not have Farsi as their mother tongue,48 yet ethnic minorities lack access to education in their mother tongue. Additionally, Article 13 also “requires States to take positive measures that enable and assist individuals and communities to enjoy the right to education”.49 The failure to take measures to address de facto educational discrimination may amount to a violation of Article 13. 50 As of today, Ahwazi Arabs and Azeris still lack access to education in their mother tongue which have been preventing them from staying in school and learn how to read and write. C. The State party should take steps to improve the quality of instruction in and physical infrastructures of schools in rural areas, and to increase the number of female teachers in rural areas. Article 43 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran provides that the economy of the Islamic Republic of Iran shall be based on providing essential needs, including education. However, in June 2019, the state-run IRNA News Agency reported that approximately 27% of Iran’s school building were in ruin, 34% needed repair and only 39% of schools had safe buildings. A lot of the schools requiring renovation are reportedly located in the Sistan and Baluchestan province, 51 where a majority of its population reportedly live in rural areas. 52 In 2016, the Committee on the Rights of the Child expressed concerns about “poor living conditions in regions traditionally inhabited by ethnic minorities, that in some cases completely lacked basic services such as […] schools, which had a direct negative impact on the rights of children living in those regions. 53 The state organization for School Renovation, Development, and Equipment of the Islamic Republic of Iran, reporting to the Ministry of Education, is in charge of school facilities and equipment countrywide. In 2019, Iran’s Ministry of Education stated that the government was committed to improve the quality of education as well as school infrastructures.54 In January 2020, Tehran’s mayor stated that between 60 to 70% of schools in the city were unsafe while noting limited public funds due to the financial crisis.55 Reports have indicated the 47 CESCR General Comment No. 13: The Right to Education (Art. 13) https://www.refworld.org/pdfid/4538838c22.pdf 48 UNPO, https://unpo.org/article/21115 49 CESCR General Comment No. 13: The Right to Education (Art. 13) https://www.refworld.org/pdfid/4538838c22.pdf 50 CESCR General Comment No. 13: The Right to Education (Art. 13) https://www.refworld.org/pdfid/4538838c22.pdf 51 Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, July 2019, https://undocs.org/A/74/188 52 Iran Wire, https://iranwire.com/en/features/5523 53 CRC/C/IRN/CO/3-4, https://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/15/treatybodyexternal/Download.aspx?symbolno=CRC/C/IRN/CO/3-4&Lang=En 54 Iran Press, https://iranpress.com/content/14137 55 Iran Wire, https://iranwire.com/en/features/6660 5