The Department of Education in Tehran has announced that Afghan migrant students holding census registration documents or “return-to-Afghanistan” papers will no longer be permitted to enrol in Iranian schools for the upcoming 1404 academic year (March 2025 – March 2026).

According to the statement, all Afghan students who possess these specific documents are now officially barred from receiving formal education in the Islamic Republic.

Yousof Baharloo, Director General of Education for Tehran’s counties, issued a directive instructing school administrators not to enrol migrant students with either census registration documents or exit documents. He further advised that the parents of such students should not be referred to the central education office.

Reports indicate that around two million Afghan migrants residing in Iran possess census documentation. While Nader Yarahmadi, Deputy Minister of Interior and Head of the Centre for Foreign Nationals and Migrants Affairs, recently reported that over 610,000 migrant students are currently enrolled in Iranian schools, he did not specify how many of them fall under this restricted category.

Despite the lack of detailed figures, numerous Afghan students have reportedly been denied access to education. This development has sparked concern, particularly among families who migrated to Iran in search of educational opportunities for their children—especially after the Taliban government in Afghanistan imposed a ban on girls’ education beyond primary level.