Students in Iran not required to attend schools due to coronavirus pandemic

Arab News
Mask-clad school children have their body temperatures measured, as part of new COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic school precautions, as they enter Nojavanan school in Iran's capital Tehran on the first day of schools re-opening on September 5, 2020. (File/AFP)
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  • Schools in Iran reopened on Saturday after almost six months of isolation due to the pandemic
  • The minister’s statement came a week after he obliged all students to go back to schools outside coronavirus hotspots

DUBAI: Students in Iran are not required to attend schools due to the coronavirus outbreak in the country, local daily reported on Wednesday citing Minister of Education Mohsen Haji-Mirzaei.
The minister’s statement came a week after he obliged all students to go back to schools outside coronavirus hotspots, the report said.
"From the beginning, we said that students' presence at schools is not mandatory. We said that our priority is face-to-face education, which is more appropriate for several reasons. That is why we are preparing all schools for in-person education. Therefore, the priority has been given to in-person education, and schools will be running, regardless of the number of students attending them," he said.
The minister’s U-turn came after the government-appointed head of Iran's Medical Council Mohammad Reza Zafarqandi criticized Iran’s education ministry over its decision to reopen schools amidst the coronavirus outbreak.
Schools in Iran reopened on Saturday after almost six months of isolation due to the pandemic.
Approximately 15 million students returned to class, mostly remotely. Iran’s total number of COVID-19 cases has reached over 384,000 with 22,000 deaths.

Topics: Coroanvirus