Educational Poverty and Its Determinants in Rural Society of Iran

This study aimed at assessing the educational poverty status and examining determinants of poverty in rural society in Iran. For this purpose, poverty headcount ratio and poverty gap ratio in the three educational levels were used. The data related to cost and income of rural households in the country were collected through the data published by Statistics Center of Iran for 2013. The results of poverty headcount ratio showed that the educational poverty rates of 0.96%, 17.36% and 9.61%, respectively, at elementary, middle and high school levels in the Iranian rural society; and generally, about a quarter of the rural households did not suitablely benefit from the formal education. Poverty gap rate also indicated educational Poverty depths by 0.27%, 8.61% and 6.65%, respectively, at elementary, middle and high school levels in the rural society; and generally, there was 15% educational poverty gap among the rural households. In addition, tobit model results showed that increase in household size, female-headed households and married headed households would increase the educational poverty; and increase in age and annual income of the households and also literacy level of household heads would decrease the educational poverty in the rural society.