HİMA RAD

Mahabad- Iran is one of the countries suffering from high coronavirus cases. The schools have reopened for face-to-face interactions in the country but no measure has been taken in the schools to protect teachers and students from the pandemic. Teachers and students are still under the threat of coronavirus and other epidemics.

We interviewed teachers and students in Iran about the school reopening but we don’t write their real names in our articles for their security. The demand of both teachers and students is the same: a safe environment.

Sarah is a member of the teachers’ union in Iran. She thinks schools are not ready for face-to-face learning. “Reopening schools was not a good decision. The unhygienic environment in the school poses too great a risk for disease transmission. The Iranian government hasn’t announced the number of people who died of coronavirus yet. Most people haven’t got vaccinated against COVID-19 in Iran. Since the school reopened, the number of coronavirus cases among children has increased even more because no measure has been taken in the schools,” she told NuJINHA.

They suffer from both pandemic and financial difficulties

Maryam is a university student studying literature. She told us the universities reopened in April. “We receive online classes but have to take face-to-face exams. It's pretty pointless actually. The capacity of dormitories is full. Many students have to stay in small rooms. We don’t only suffer from the pandemic but also financial difficulties. Everything is too expensive,” Maryam said.

“I do not have access to online learning”

Seher, a student in the eleventh grade, hasn’t been able to go to school for three years because she is afraid of “going to school because I am a cardiac patient and cannot get vaccinated against COVID-19. The number of students in a class is very high and there is no social distance. I do not have access to online learning because my family is poor and cannot buy a smartphone or laptop.”

Children under 12 have not been vaccinated yet

According to reports we received, the children under the age of 12 have not been vaccinated yet. The teachers and students in Iran demand the government take necessary measures in order to provide a safe environment for them.