An Iranian official said that the Ministry of Education is working to promote the quota allocated to school students for Hajj pilgrimage.
 
The quota has tremendously downed from about 11,000 pilgrims in 2008 to 500 in 2009 due to swine flu pandemic , Mohammad-Taqi Fakhrian, the CEO of cultural and religious and camping activities of the Ministry of Education, said.
 
However, he said, the quota remained unchanged despite the threats of the lethal flu has declined. 

“The ministry of education is not allowed to set up an independent program to send pilgrims to Karbala,” the official said in response to a question raised on the possibility of sending students to Karbala in Iraq to visit the shrine of the reverend third Shia leader Imam Hussein (AS). 

Fakhrian announced that the Education Ministry has issued instructions for sending students to overseas for scientific, religious and recreational tours.