TEHRAN -- The director of the Women's Affairs Department of the Ministry of Education, Fatemeh Tondgouyan, said that 470,000 Iranian women are working in the field of education and that there are 8.5 million female students in the schools and universities of the countries.

She added that 350 billion rials has been allocated to increase the number of female students in rural areas. She said, "Creating job opportunities for women is one of the goals of the Women's Affairs Department."

Tondgouyan expressed hope that the number of female students entering universities and higher education centers would rise, adding that more efforts should be made to promote increased participation by Iranian women in the social and cultural life of the country.