National primary education was first proposed in the Constitution of 1907. The first public schools for girls, however, did not open until 1918. During the Pahlavi era (1925–79), the modern national education system developed, based originally on the French model. As in France, it was a highly centralized system and continues to be so today. The ministry of education creates a national curriculum for primary through secondary education. Compulsory primary education was established by law in 1943. Currently, education is compulsory through the age of 14.

The public education syste…