Teachers are trained at the Farhanigian University, then the Department of Special Education
manages and assigns them to the secondary/vocational levels for children with mental, hearing,
visual, physical and development disabilities.8
The number of specialized teachers and professionals available is insufficient. In 2018, there
were 23,000 specialized teachers for 150,000 children with disabilities enrolled in special and
mainstream schools,9 against an estimated 1.5 million children with disabilities of school age in
Iran.10 The government has openly acknowledged the insufficient numbers of specialized
teachers available. According to a senior Special Education Organization official, referring to the
situation in 2016 in mainstream schools: “Only 364 resource teachers are available to provide
education support to 48,837 students with disabilities.”11 This represents a ratio of 134 students
per resource teacher. Reports indicated that parents of children with disabilities were in some
cases asked to participate in classes to assist the education of their children.12
Further, regardless of the lack of trained teachers and professionals, children with disabilities
generally lack access to education in Iran, including in mainstream education within integrated
classes.13 About 75% of children with mental disabilities, as well as some hearing and visually
impaired students, attend special schools.14 15 During the 2018-2019 school year, only 150,000
out of an estimated 1.5 million children with disabilities of school age were enrolled in school;
43 percent in mainstream, and the rest in special schools.
As mentioned above, programs and measures instituted by Iran, including training programs for
specialized teachers and professionals, are insufficient to ensure children with disabilities can
access education on an equal basis with other children, notably due to a lack of funding. As a
consequence, there are not enough specialized teachers to ensure access to education in
integrated classes for children with disabilities. These difficulties add to already existing
obstacles for children with disabilities to access mainstream education including mandatory
medical assessments, physical inaccessibility as well as discriminatory attitudes of school staff.16
8
UNESCO < http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0022/002297/229715E.pdf > pg. 34-35.
Majid Ghadami, head of the Special Education Organization, Mehr News Agency, November 12, 2018,
https://www.mehrnews.com/news/4455643/
10
Human Rights Watch, https://www.hrw.org/report/2019/10/02/just-other-kids/lack-access-inclusive-quality-education-childrendisabilities
11
Mohsen Ghafoorian interview with Iran Newspaper, 18/6/1395, September 8, 2016,
http://www.irannewspaper.com/Newspaper/BlockPrint/149924
12
Human Rights Watch, https://www.hrw.org/report/2019/10/02/just-other-kids/lack-access-inclusive-quality-education-childrendisabilities
13
Human Rights Watch, https://www.hrw.org/report/2019/10/02/just-other-kids/lack-access-inclusive-quality-educationchildren-disabilities
14
UNESCO < http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0022/002297/229715E.pdf > pg. 34-35.
15
UNESCO < http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0022/002297/229715E.pdf > pg. 34-35.
16
See more: Human Rights Watch: < https://www.hrw.org/report/2019/10/02/just-other-kids/lack-access-inclusive-qualityeducation-children-disabilities >
9
2