“Egypt is a country that does not have the necessary position and status for education and it is not the top priority in the country. Without it, there will be a thousand excuses. He himself was the Deputy Minister of Secondary Education in the second government of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
The issue of coronavirus and the state of education in the country is a concern for those who care about education in Iran. The situation of Shad Network, the state of the internet in the country, and the history of the education system in Iran are not hidden. With this issue in mind, we went to Ibrahim Saharkhiz, former Deputy Minister of Education and expert in education, to discuss the current state of virtual education in the country and asked him some questions. He talks about the damage caused by the state of the education network in the country and Shad Network, and how students, teachers, and parents have not received proper education about the virtual space. He continues to say, “We did not

What is your evaluation of the current state of virtual education during the coronavirus period in Iran? In your opinion, what damages has the current situation caused to our education system?

Education has not taken virtual learning seriously yet. Media literacy among students, teachers, and parents is low. Parents are a part of the learning and teaching process, whether we want them to be or not, and they can have an impact. They can provide a suitable environment for teaching and learning. They can offer diversity in learning environments and provide better opportunities for students to experience. This means that we cannot say that if our students and teachers are capable, our job is done and our mission is accomplished. No, we cannot ignore this aspect. We have three groups: students, teachers, and parents. I believe that despite the high internet penetration rate in Iran and the fact that many have access to smartphones, tablets, and other devices, a significant portion of our teachers, parents, and students do not have the skills to work with them. Not to mention that in some places, the necessary infrastructure is not available. In a video, I saw students in Nahavand risking their lives to access

You have mentioned both the budget issue and the lack of seriousness in the country’s educational system in this area. Where do you think the problem lies? Do we have a legal problem and no written law for it, or do we have a law but the executive body does not do what it is supposed to do at the time of implementation?

اما در حوزه آموزش و پرورش به خصوص این مشکل بیشتر است.

Our work has deviated from the law. This issue has become a necessity today. Now, in the situation of the coronavirus, the rural student crosses four lines and risks being hit by a trailer or car in order to attend their classes. They feel the danger of falling behind and experiencing academic decline compared to others. However, education is not the top priority in our country. Officials talk beautifully, but the top concern of this country is not education. However, if you read the books written in the field of education, economics, and development, some believe that education leads to development and development leads to accumulation of wealth. Others say the opposite, that we must first focus on production and accumulation of capital, and then use that capital for education. I’m not looking for a theoretical debate, but I want to

Mr. Saharkhiz, according to the Iranian Constitution, education is free and the government is obligated to provide this free education throughout the country. Four decades have passed since the revolution and the establishment of the system. But now, with the emergence of virtual education, we do not have such a problem. As you mentioned, students have to take risks to access the internet. Or some students commit suicide because they do not have a smartphone or tablet and cannot access virtual education. What do you think has happened that we are facing such a situation today?

As I mentioned before, education is not our top priority. It is not a concern for our officials. It is not the focus of our country’s leaders. They talk about it, but we don’t see any action. Occasionally, they increase teachers’ salaries, which are not even enough to keep up with inflation. This is also due to social pressure. But the reason for these problems is that we have treated education as a commodity, despite the explicit provisions of the constitution. Most countries in the world also have a similar approach and say that education is the right of every citizen. This right is explicitly recognized in the constitution and cannot be interpreted or distorted. I remember during the negotiations of the Guardian Council in the 1970s, I saw discussions about approving non-governmental and non-profit schools. I was truly surprised at how easily these gentlemen interpreted and explained this concept, saying that opening non-governmental schools does not contradict anything and people can participate.

Our Minister himself owns a school.

Let’s take a look at Shad Network, or the student social network, and understand your perspective on it. What is your evaluation and criticism of this Shad Network?

Unfortunately, a significant portion of parents, teachers, and students in both urban and rural areas lack media literacy and we have a problem in this regard. We also have a problem with the lack of infrastructure for this network. Currently, we have internet problems in some areas. There have also been cases where in the midst of the coronavirus, the school principal has been forced to take attendance for teachers. Because we were unable to seriously involve parents in the Shad network, we were also unaware of their needs.

Of course, I must mention that the Shad network is a choice between bad and worse. In the midst of the coronavirus situation, it is an option instead of complete closure. The Shad network is better than nothing in these circumstances. But imagine a vulnerable family living in one room. Some of them don’t even have a television. They don’t have the necessary familiarity. They don’t have devices like smartphones and tablets. Then the executive headquarters said we will give them a tablet for

We are faced with this virtual education. This virtual education also comes with consequences such as lack of student movement and lack of educational impact of schools. You mentioned in your other conversations about the hidden curriculum that parents are responsible for in this situation. What is your perspective in this area and what do you think can be done to solve these problems in light of the current situation we are facing?

It is a good point. We have an approved curriculum. We are implementing a curriculum. We have a hidden curriculum. It should not be assumed that what happens in school is only what is conveyed from the content of textbooks and ends with exams. A hidden education takes place in school. This includes the school’s father, the executive agents who come and go, the students themselves, those who owe and come and go in school. All of these have an impact on the behavior, beliefs, thoughts, and perspective of the students. In fact, their influence may be more lasting in the behavior, mind, and memory of the students than the content of textbooks. In the past, when schools ended, children would tear up their textbooks and if someone asked them a question about a topic from a certain lesson a month later, no one would have an answer! But there would be some memories in the student’s mind. They would say, “That teacher, that school servant, or that person in

Mr. Saharkhiz, in any case, we are facing this situation now. Meaning, we are in the midst of the coronavirus. Our education system has not been trained. We also have the Shadi network, where you mentioned some points about it. You were also a deputy minister of education. Considering your experience in the executive branch and your expert perspective, what can be done in the current situation? Is problem-solving possible with a few small changes? Or do we need a fundamental change in this educational structure to achieve results?

In my opinion, despite all its hardships, the coronavirus had one benefit. It opened our eyes and ears to our problems. It made us aware of our flaws, shortcomings, and damages. I believe nothing can replace the value of education. We have a transformation document that is not just about textbooks. Now, this coronavirus has been discovered unintentionally. We were forced to close our schools. Because of this forced closure, we have to say that we must build a network of happiness with all its good and bad aspects. This is better than nothing. Let’s analyze this situation now. If the coronavirus vaccine is found in two days and schools reopen, let’s not forget about this work. Let’s learn from unexpected events that happen and not say that, for example, an earthquake or flood came and went. Now that the incident has happened and we have realized where our weaknesses lie, let’s plan to solve them. The parliament should take the Minister’s collar and ask him, what is your

Thank you for the time you have given to the peace line.