The decision of the Corona Combat Headquarters to reopen all schools except red zones

Iran's Minister of Education announced the reopening of schools in cities that are not in a red zone in terms of the spread of the coronavirus.

Mohsen Haji Mirzaei claimed in a television interview on Thursday, January 15, that "studies show that there is no decisive effect between reopening and the spread of the coronavirus."

He did not cite the source of these studies and went on to say that a student's absence from school has numerous consequences.

Iran is one of the first countries where the coronavirus has spread rapidly, and according to official statistics from the Ministry of Health, more than 56,000 people in Iran have died from the virus so far; although civil registration statistics and statements by some Iranian officials indicate that the actual number of coronavirus victims is higher than this figure.

While many warnings have been issued about another wave of the coronavirus outbreak in the country, Haji Mirzaei has said that the principle is that the school should remain open, while adhering to health protocols and guidelines.

He said that whenever experts conclude that reopening schools in certain areas will have consequences, we will comply, but now the Corona Headquarters has decided that training will be in-person.

The Minister of Education further stated that schools should be open in all areas except red zones, and administrative and executive staff should be present in the school.

Again, without citing the source of the studies, he said that "international studies" indicate that if the technical, software, and hardware infrastructure for distance learning is complete and the student's conditions, teacher ability, and family support are good, education with 50 percent quality can be achieved.

He concluded that some provinces in the country do not have access to these tools.

Previously, Rezvan Hakimzadeh, Deputy Minister of Primary Education at the Ministry of Education, had said that 3.25 million students are unable to join the "Shad" network due to not having a tablet or phone and are facing the risk of "falling behind in education."

The Shad Network was launched by the Iranian government for distance education of students after the outbreak of the coronavirus in Iran and the closure of schools.

According to the latest reports from the Ministry of Health, only a few cities in Mazandaran and Golestan provinces are currently in red status.

Thus, if the decision of the Coronavirus Task Force to reopen schools is implemented, almost all provinces will have to have in-person teaching.

Mr. Haji Mirzaei has said that there should be no more than 10 students in each class.

The reopening of schools comes despite Saeed Namaki's opposition to the reopening of schools on Wednesday of this week.

He expressed concern about the possibility of a new wave of coronavirus outbreak in the country.

A few months ago, the spread of the coronavirus in the country skyrocketed, and all provinces were placed in red status.

Many European countries, the United States, Russia, China, and East Asian countries, Arab countries, Israel, Turkey, and Azerbaijan have begun vaccinating their citizens; but the Leader of the Islamic Republic, Ali Khamenei, recently announced that he has banned the purchase of "American and British" vaccines.

Iran says it is working with Cuba to produce a vaccine in addition to producing one domestically. Some Iranian officials have warned that producing the vaccine will not be possible in the short term.

Source: Radio Farda