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Ministry: No Azerbaijani-language schools in Iran, Azerbaijanis deprived of right to education in their native language

26 October 2026 11:07 (UTC +04:00)

"As a result of the policies pursued by Iran, there is not a single school in the country (Iran – ed.) where education is provided in the Azerbaijani language," APA reports.

This was stated in a statement issued by the Ministry of Science and Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

The statement noted that education in Azerbaijani is not provided at higher education institutions either:

"However, approximately 40 million of Iran's population are indigenous ethnic Azerbaijanis, and they have been deprived of the right to receive education in their native language for decades.

The Iranian Minister of Science, Research and Technology and other individuals in Iran who have spoken on this issue would do better to address these matters instead of interfering in Azerbaijan's internal affairs and take measures to eliminate this unprecedented injustice that has continued for decades."

Note that Hossein Simaei-Sarraf, Minister of Science, Iran's Research, and Technology, opposed the introduction of a unified school uniform in Azerbaijan and announced that they could provide a "free educational environment" for girls who claim to have been deprived of their right to education.

"Iranian universities are ready to admit Azerbaijani girls," Hossein Simaei-Sarraf said, adding that school uniforms should not be an obstacle to education.