Ali Farhadi, the spokesperson for the Iranian regime’s Ministry of Education, warned that repeated school closures in Iran have had a negative impact on students’ learning quality.
On Saturday, March 22, in an interview with the official IRNA news agency, Farhadi stated that each day of school closure costs approximately 10 trillion rials, and online education cannot be an effective substitute for in-person learning.
He added that frequent school closures and reduced in-person teaching time have significantly harmed students’ learning quality and have prevented them from achieving satisfactory educational outcomes.
Schools in Many Provinces of Iran Closed Due to Cold Weather, Gas Shortages
In its report, IRNA highlighted the frequent school closures in 2024 due to air pollution, cold weather, and the energy crisis. Citing education officials and experts, the report stated that online education has caused serious academic and developmental setbacks.
Some provinces declared school closures for 72 out of 291 working days last year due to gas or electricity shortages. This figure does not include additional closures caused by the death of Ebrahim Raisi, natural disasters, and other incidents.
The Ministry of Education spokesperson emphasized in his interview that frequent school closures are not endorsed by the ministry.
Farhadi added, “The Ministry of Education has even opposed school closures in the Emergency Air Pollution Task Force, but final decisions are made collectively, and the ministry only has one vote.”
This is not the first time warnings have been issued regarding weak remote learning infrastructure, learning poverty, and declining student achievement in Iran.
Masoud Kabiri, a faculty member at the Iranian regime’s Education Research Institute, warned in January 2025 that two out of every five Iranian students lack effective learning, and 70% of boys in rural schools fail to reach the minimum expected learning level.
Rezvan Hakimzadeh, Deputy Minister of Primary Education, stated in November 2024 that 40% of students suffer from learning poverty, significantly reducing their chances of academic and professional success in the future.
He described learning poverty as a situation in which some students, despite attending school, fail to properly acquire basic literacy skills, including reading, writing, arithmetic, and speaking.
Gholam-Ali Afrooz, a professor at the University of Tehran, stated in November last year that only 70% of Iranian students who start elementary school complete high school.
