Most of the provinces of Iran on the country's international borders (with the inclusion of Iranian Kurdistan) have lower rates of literacy than the average for Iran. Before Iran's Literacy Movement Organization () started, it was mostly madrasas and other Islamic schools that worked for the education of the population in Iranian Kurdistan. These schools did not teach much science or technology, and the teachers taught religion and literature. In Iran, literacy is a synonym for being able to read and write in the Persian language. (Persian is the official language of Iran and the only language used in government schools.) Because of this, many Kurds in Iranian Kurdistan cannot read or write in Kurdish. Many Kurdish children do not learn Kurdish, and tutors and private schools are important in teaching Kurdish language and literature.