Many malnourished children in Iran’s rural and nomadic schools set out on long morning walks without breakfast, leaving some to collapse from weakness during school line-ups and unable to learn during long school days, Shargh newspaper reported on Wednesday.
“These children in practice have no fuel for learning, and teachers and principals, because there is not even a single grocery store near the school, cannot provide them with food and often have no choice but to send students home after such incidents,” the report said.
Ronak Rostami, a social activist, told Shargh that malnutrition has become a serious problem in schools. “Many children suffer from stomach aches, abdominal pain, and general weakness, which prevents them from making effective use of classroom time,” she said.
Students in villages often leave home around six in the morning with only dry bread and a little dried yogurt to eat on their way, she added.
Broader warnings
This is not the first time media in Iran have raised alarms about child malnutrition. A study published by the daily earlier this month, based on data from non-governmental organizations and volunteers, found that only 1.7 percent of households consume protein daily, while more than a quarter consume none at all.
Among households dependent on temporary jobs, 93 percent reported eating protein less than once a week or not at all.
Dairy consumption was similarly scarce. According to the report, just 2 percent of children receive dairy daily, while half receive none at all, even in households with stable jobs.
No one thinks of breakfast in rural areas
Poor families lack both time and resources for breakfast, explained a civil activist in Khuzestan, southern Iran, who was not named in the Shargh report.
“These children do not eat breakfast, and the reason is the type of life they are accustomed to and the compulsion they face,” he said. Parents leave early for farm or livestock work, while children either help or care for siblings.
Another activist in Ilam province said: “Here no one thinks of breakfast anymore. Even if they do, they cannot afford it, and a child who has no proper nutrition during the day goes to school without breakfast."
In classrooms where children must engage both mind and body, “they have no fuel to burn,” he said, recalling repeated instances of students fainting during school line-ups.
A study published in the Journal of Health, Population and Nutrition in January, titled “The prevalence of malnutrition in children under 6 in Southern Iran from 2018 to 2023: a population-based study,” found that malnutrition remains a serious concern, particularly among children in rural provinces of Iran, where it has led to conditions such as stunting — impaired growth caused by chronic undernutrition.
