A Comparative Study on the Position of Formal Education System of Islamic Republic of Iran among its Neighboring Countries

This study aims to compare the position of the formal education system of the Islamic Republic of Iran with those of neighboring countries. This is a comparative quantitative study, in which the statistical population was analyzed at the world regions/continents level based on the Bray and Thomas cube. The research sample consisted of Iran and 13 neighboring countries. There were six education indices classified generally as student, human resources, environment and equipment, financial, outcome, and qualitative groups with 20 micro indices. The information was collected by analyzing documents, contents of reports, and citable references, such as international databanks, official websites of the Ministry of Education, and governmental sources and reports as well as those of research institutions and the mass media. Regarding the fulfillment percentage of education indices, the research findings indicate that Iran was ranked seventh among neighboring countries. Among seven Arab countries except for Iraq, countries on the southern border of the Persian Gulf were ranked from first to six; thus, they outstripped Iran and other neighboring countries. According to other research findings, Iran was ranked below fifth in seven indices, compared with 13 neighboring countries, and between sixth and tenth in 11 indices. Iran was ranked third in apparent intake ratio, first in actual intake ratio, and second in the ratio of technical and vocational students to the entire students. It was also ranked first along with Azerbaijan and the UAE in the ratio of qualified teachers to the entire number of teachers, fourth in the share of education budget from the public budget, and fifth in the graduation rate of primary students among neighboring countries.