October 08, 2021
Iran held its traditional school opening September 23, with the ceremonial ringing of the school chime and kids walking into the schoolhouse under a copy of the Qoran being held over their heads by a teacher.
But few students participated as most schools remain closed and the students are largely participating virtually because of the continuing coronavirus epidemic.
The government is anxious to get the schools back to normal and officials say they hope to see students back in the classroom in a few weeks.
But right now, it is only rural and nomad schools and those with small enrollments (which are mostly in rural areas) that are operating normally.
First graders got to go to school physically on the first day and enjoy the usual start-of-term festivities, especially meeting with their teachers.
But the majority of students are looking at a TV screen or becoming scholarly over their cellphones.
President Raisi was not happy with the current arrangements. He said, “Virtual education should be for 15 days or a month and after a month it should become face-to-face, or a combination of face-to-face and virtual education, and we must have face-to-face education along with virtual education.”
The bottom line is that no one knows what will happen. That will depend on the progress of the pandemic and the vaccination program.
The school year begins without a minister of education overseeing K-12 schools because Raisi’s nominee was rejected a few weeks ago by the Majlis the only cabinet nominee rejected.
The acting education minister, Ali-Reza Kazemi, said that for now first graders will go to school in-person one day a week.
All school courses are being broadcast nationally on television while the education app Shad provides students with educational materials over their cellphones.
The Tehran Times said there are 94,449 schools across Iran, of which 44,363 or 45 percent have fewer than 75 students. So, almost half the schools will be open, but far fewer than half of the nation’s students will be attending physical classes.