Rewritten Title: New Financial Support Initiative Launched for Retirees and Their Student Children
Article:
In a move to bolster social welfare and support academic advancement, Iran’s Civil Servants Pension Fund has unveiled a new supportive scheme named “Hampad.” This initiative is designed to provide financial assistance to retirees and their children pursuing higher education, specifically by offering thesis support loans.
Aiding Academic Aspirations
The “Hampad” plan directly addresses the financial challenges faced by students completing their graduate studies. Under this scheme, retirees and their children enrolled in Master’s or PhD programs can apply for financial aid to support the completion of their theses. The allocated loan amounts are:
- 10 Million Tomans for Master’s degree theses.
- 15 Million Tomans for Doctoral degree dissertations.
Eligibility and Application Process
To qualify for the loan, applicants must meet specific criteria. The thesis proposal must have been officially approved after the Iranian calendar year 1402 began (March 21, 2023). Furthermore, retirees whose monthly income is less than 10 million Rials are not eligible for this particular benefit.
The application process is streamlined through the Pension Fund’s electronic services portal. Applicants are required to submit a range of documents, including a completed university introduction form, scanned copies of their student ID, national card, birth certificate, and corresponding documents for the retiree parent to verify the relationship.
Broader Welfare Measures
In related news, Mohammad Soleimani, the Director General of Technical Affairs at the Pension Fund, highlighted another supportive policy rooted in the Law for the Protection of the Family and Youthful Population.
This legislation grants working mothers a reduction in the official retirement age. For each child born after the law came into effect, a mother can retire one year earlier. This incentive increases to one and a half years for the third child and any subsequent children. Consequently, the minimum retirement age for mothers with one child is set at 42, 41 for those with two children, and 40 for mothers with three or more children, provided they have a minimum of 20 years of service.
These initiatives collectively underscore ongoing efforts to enhance the social safety net for retirees and their families, supporting both educational goals and family welfare.