TEHRAN – Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi issued a communique on Saturday to the ministers of science, health, and education, announcing the reopening of universities and schools which were teaching mostly online due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Following the decision of the National Headquarters for Coronavirus Control and President Ebrahim Raisi, all universities affiliated to the ministries of science and health, and schools affiliated to the ministry of education, must operate in person as the new cases of the disease have notably reduced.

In this communique, Vahidi emphasized that it is necessary to observe hygienic principles (use of masks and observance of social distancing).

Around 92.5 percent of Iranian students aged 12-18 have so far received the first dose of coronavirus vaccine and some 75 percent are inoculated with the second dose, Fars reported a week earlier.

All educational centers in Iran have been closed since February 2020.

In order for students to keep in touch with their studies, the Ministry of Education launched a homegrown mobile application on April 9, called SHAD, providing students with distance learning programs. More than 60 percent of students and 94 percent of teachers attended 64 percent of classes through the SHAD app, whose acronym in Persian translates as the Students Education Network.

Moreover, the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) also began to broadcast televised educational programs on a daily basis after school closures.

Due to the vaccination and the reduction of transmission, schools are gradually reopened since September 2021, and about 15 million students across the country attended schools with strict observance of health protocols. However, the fifth wave of the pandemic prevented the students to enjoy face-to-face education.

FB/MG