TEHRAN -- The director of the Afghan Children's Education Movement (ACEM), Iranian filmmaker Mohsen Makhmalbaf, said that starting next year, some 1,000 Afghan children will be taught how to read and write in Iran.

He also said that in order to teach this number of Afghans, some Rls.60 billion has been allocated to the project, which will be implemented by the Literacy Campaign Movement (LCM), adding that some Rls.130 billion is needed to teach the Afghan children currently residing in Iran.

Makhmalbaf said that there are some 500,000 illiterate Afghan children in Iran.

Mohsen Makhmalbaf, whose 'Safar-e Kandahar' (Journey to Kandahar) attracted the world's attention, said that a proper education is one of the undeniable rights of children.

He said that if the Afghans residing in Iran decide to remain in Iran for any reason, they should learn how to read and write and should become educated, and if they decide to leave Iran for their country, the fact that they were educated here would be an honor for Iran.