There is no Farsi text provided to translate. Please provide the Farsi text for an accurate translation.
Mohammad Habibi

Ambiguity in.

A.

There are a number of addicted students.

“The statistics of student addiction to drugs will not be disclosed by the media.” This statement was made by Ali Moavedi, the deputy secretary of the Anti-Drug Headquarters, in an interview with Fars News Agency. In response to a reporter’s question about the statistics of addicted students, he said, “We have recently announced that under no circumstances should the statistics of student addiction be announced in the media, but rather be reported confidentially and in writing to the Ministry of Education.”

These statements seem to be the final conclusion of the recent media conflicts between the Anti-Drug Headquarters and the Ministry of Education on the ongoing struggle over the actual statistics of addicted students in the country.

Despite all this, this issue is not new. In fact, statistics related to students are not only limited to addiction, but also in other areas such as statistics on children who drop out of school, child labor, and cases of increasing profanity and crime, have always remained confidential. These statistics are easily accessible to experts and civil activists, even in developing and not so advanced countries in terms of education.

During the past four years, various statistics have been presented about the rate of addiction among students. In 2008, for the first time, an official in the Anti-Drug Headquarters announced that there were 35,000 addicted students in the country. Five years later, another official from the same organization stated that the number of addicted students had reached 75,000. This showed that despite the unbelievable nature of these statistics (many experts believe that the actual numbers are higher than the official statistics), we have been facing a growth of over 100% in the prevalence of addiction among students during these five years. Just two years later, in April 2015, the official in charge of the Anti-Drug Headquarters announced that there were 130,000 addicted students in the country.

The reaction of education officials has always been different when faced with the media’s coverage of these statistics, ranging from silence and absolute denial of the existence of addicted students to limited acceptance of responsibility by this ministry in this area. This is while the media coverage of these statistics is not limited to the responsible authorities of the Anti-Drug Headquarters. In 2014, a deputy commander of the Revolutionary Guards also warned of the danger of increasing addiction among students in an interview. In the same interview, he announced that there were forty-five thousand addicted students in the country. Despite undeniable evidence of the spread of addiction among students, the latest interview of the deputy head of the Anti-Drug Headquarters reveals an implicit agreement between this organization and the Ministry of Education. This means that the statistics, like in the past, must remain confidential and archived.

It seems that the lack of a specific plan in addressing social issues in the educational structure and the inefficiency of the Ministry of Education in curbing the spread of various crimes among students are the main factors contributing to this hidden problem. This is exactly what one of the experts of the Assembly for Determining the Interests of the System also considers as one of the main causes of the increase in addiction among students. In response to a reporter’s question about the reason for the spread of addiction among students, he says: “The main reason for its spread is the serious flaws in the performance of education and upbringing, which is considered the main responsibility of educating and nurturing children and adolescents.”

The causes of addiction in schools and the responsibilities of education and training.

While the age of addiction among students has reached under 15 years, according to the statements of official authorities, the Ministry of Education does not have any specific and written programs for reducing social harms in schools.

One of the most fundamental methods in preventing social harms in schools is through awareness and comprehensive education. Teaching life skills and directly educating students and parents plays an effective role in preventing addiction among students, according to many social experts. However, these teachings have not been seen to have an impact in the country’s education system. In this regard, the head of the Anti-Addiction Task Force of the Expediency Discernment Council considers the discussion of educating and raising awareness among students in preventing addiction in schools to be weak and says, “Education and training have been on the agenda for years, but it must be seen that only a small percentage of students have been covered. This is while according to the program, 40% of students should have received the necessary education in this area, which has not happened in practice.”

He also adds, “Unfortunately, the quality of education in schools is not sufficient and standard, and students do not receive good and useful information from them. This is while parallel information in the opposite direction from the system of smuggling and outside of schools is much stronger and more effective.”

Official statistics show that more than 67% of students have their first experience with drug use in schools. On the other hand, while each student spends an average of ten years of their sensitive age in the school environment and the main responsibility for their education and upbringing falls on the Ministry of Education according to official laws, it is not an exaggeration to hold this ministry accountable for the main responsibility of increasing addiction among students for the following reasons.

Lack of necessary structures to prevent addiction among students.

While according to the decision of the Supreme National Security Council, all institutions are required to establish a dedicated office or department for combating drugs in their sub-sectors, such structure is not seen in the education system. The lack of such structures can lead to a lack of cohesive and appropriate planning in terms of information and awareness for students and their parents.

Lack of proper counseling in schools.

As mentioned, the primary responsibility for educating and nurturing students in childhood and adolescence falls on the Ministry of Education of the country. In this regard, the role of school counselors in preventing social harms is very important. However, the use of non-specialists in counseling and the lack of necessary personnel in this field have minimized the optimal use of counseling services by students. According to the approved educational standards of the Ministry of Education, one hour of counseling services should be provided per week for every 6 students. However, according to the statements of the Director General of Education and Counseling of the Ministry of Education, this number is currently one hour per week for every 15 students. Based on my personal experience teaching in various schools over the years, the overall counseling services in Iran are limited to the best case scenario of advising on academic and career choices. This is while counseling in Iranian schools is only limited to the secondary level and elementary and middle school students are deprived of these limited counseling services.

Lack of proper awareness in textbooks.

One of the effective methods of teaching and raising awareness in the field of life skills is through textbooks and education in schools. However, managerial weaknesses and conservative conditions prevailing in this ministry during the years after the revolution have hindered the development of suitable textbooks in various social areas. Specifically, education on maturity, mental and emotional readiness, sexual issues, and awareness of social harms has been completely removed from the country’s educational structure. For example, even high school students are deprived of necessary and official education on preventing addiction and AIDS. It is clear that in the age of global village, this information can be obtained through virtual space and inappropriate means, which can further exacerbate existing harms.