A new school year has begun in Iran, but thousands of Afghan migrant children can’t attend classes. Tehran has brought back long-standing restrictions on Afghan migrants as it deals with a struggling economy.

Tehran

Many Afghan migrant children in Iran are being denied access to education as schools increasingly refuse to enroll undocumented students. Following a year marked by mass deportations and tighter residency requirements, the number of Afghan students in Iranian schools has reportedly dropped significantly, with some estimates suggesting it may have halved.

Families face difficult choices, as enrolling children in school can risk detection and deportation. Some Iranian educators and NGOs are providing online lessons to help Afghan children continue their studies, though many are reluctant to speak publicly due to fear of government repercussions. For these children, education represents both hope and a means of survival.

Afghan migrant children in Iran barred from school

It's the first month of school in Tehran, but not every child is heading to class. For many Afghan children, this school year begins behind closed doors. After a year of mass deportations and stricter controls on residency, tens of thousands of Afghan students in Iran have been pushed out of the classroom. Some schools now refuse to enroll undocumented children leaving families like Rona's trapped between hope and despair. When I finished 10th grade, the school said I couldn't register again because I didn't have legal documents. I felt very sad. I just wanted to study, to continue like everyone else. Sometimes classmates told me to go back to Afghanistan, but I try not to lose hope. Now I study online and take art classes. I want to become a designer, maybe a lawyer or a psychologist one day. Rona was born in Afghanistan, but she has lived most of her life here in Iran. Her mother works as a caretaker to support her two daughters and to keep alive their dream of getting a good education. We tried to renew our passport, but they refused and told us to go back. We are two women alone. How can we go back? What will we do there? For years, she has juggled housekeeping, sewing and elderly care jobs just to keep her daughters safe, fed and learning. According to the United Nations, around 600,000 Afghan students were enrolled in Iranian schools last year. This year, that number may have fallen by as much as half. My children cannot go to school because we don't have documents. I've been arrested several times. Even when I go to buy bread, I'm afraid of being caught. Mohammed once worked as a police officer in Afghanistan. Now he lives in fear of deportation and of his children's future slipping away. Across Iran, there are still millions of Afghans, some legal, many not, who call this country home. But with tighter controls and rising anti-Afghan sentiment, education has become both a privilege and a risk. For many families, enrolling a child in school could mean being detected and deported. But amid the fear, a quiet movement is taking shape. Some Iranian educators and NGOs are helping Afghan children continue their lessons online. Al Jazeera contacted several NGOs and teachers who offer free virtual classrooms, but most declined to be filmed, fearing legal repercussions from the government. For these children, education is more than just learning. It is survival and hope, a hope that can't be deported. Rasool Serdar, Al Jazeera, Tehran.

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