TEHRAN – More than 1,700 Iranian students are studying in Iraq, Qatar and Africa, Mohammad Mohsen Beigi, head of Iranian schools abroad, has said.

Qatar and Iraq each are hosting 800 Iranian students, and 115 Iranian students are educating in Africa in person and virtually, he explained, IRNA reported on Tuesday.

He went on to note that there are four schools for Iranian students in Qatar, two of which are for boys at primary and secondary levels and the rest are for girls, adding, some 100 students are studying as free volunteers, guests, and online learners.

Iranian schools in Iraq are active in the cities of Erbil, Baghdad, Karbala, Najaf, and Basra, and a significant population of male and female students are studying in the educational complexes of the cities of Erbil, Najaf, and Karbala, he explained.

 Qatar and Iraq each are hosting 800 Iranian students, and 115 students are in Africa.Beigi added that the population of students is less in the cities of Baghdad and Basra.

In Africa, there is a school belonging to the Islamic Republic only in Tanzania, which has 15 students, and in other African countries, about 100 students are studying virtually, he further said.

These students are usually immigrant Iranians, children of government officials, and some other families residing in these countries due to trade and tourism. 
Of course, in some cities we also have non-Iranian Persian speaking students, for example, Afghan students and a limited number of Pakistani students fluent in Persian, he stated.

Usually, Iranian students do not pay much in foreign schools, 10-15 percent of the money received by these schools is donated to schools located in Iran, and it can almost be said that the cost of education is free, he also said.

Students living in Qatar use the contents of Iranian textbooks, but they study two books about Qatari history and some customs and traditions based on the law of the country of Qatar, he stated.

The basis for setting up Iranian schools abroad is a kind of government investment for Iranians abroad. Actually, the preservation of Iranian and Islamic identity and connection with the country's culture and the use of educational content approved by the government have been considered, he also explained.

According to IRNA, there are now about 8,500 students studying in 76 schools of the Islamic Republic abroad. Also, 1,600 teachers are working in schools abroad.

FB/MG