More than 16.5 million students begin new academic year in over 124,000 schools across Iran

More than 124,000 schools across Iran have reopened for the new academic year, welcoming more than 16.5 million students as classes resumed in person across the country on Wednesday, the first day of the Persian calendar month of Mehr.

The reopening marks the beginning of a new academic year in which schools will combine regular educational activities with cultural and educational programs, including events marking Sacred Defense Week and Iran's newly designated National Flag Day.

Under the schedule announced by the Ministry of Education, classes for primary-school students begin at 8 a.m. local time, while lower and upper secondary classes start at 7:30 a.m.

Preparations for the new academic year included readying schools, organizing teachers, registering students and distributing textbooks ahead of the reopening.

More than 124,000 schools will serve the country's student population this year. About 83 percent of schools are public and around 17 percent are non-public. The number of educational facilities is also expected to increase as newly constructed schools begin operating at the start of the academic year.

More than nine million students are enrolled in primary education. At the lower secondary level, 3,948,152 students are enrolled, while 1,711,527 students are studying in the academic branch at the upper secondary level.

In addition, around 873,000 students are enrolled in the technical and vocational branch, while approximately 555,000 are studying in the Kardanesh branch, which provides vocational and skills-based education.

Pezeshkian visits school in Tehran

Ahead of the reopening, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian visited Fatemeh Zahra Girls' Elementary School in Tehran's District 11 on Monday to mark the beginning of the new academic year.

During his visit, Pezeshkian attended a symbolic classroom decorated with symbols of resistance and commemorated the memory of the 168 student martyrs of Shajareh-ye Tayyebeh School in Minab, who were killed in an attack on Iranian territory.

On the first day of the US-Israeli military aggression against Iran on February 28, US Tomahawk missiles struck Shajareh-ye Tayyebeh Girls' Elementary School in Minab, Hormozgan Province, killing 168 people, most of them children, as well as several teachers.

The school is set to be registered as a national site in recognition of its significance as a symbol of sacrifice and resilience.

The reopening of schools this year therefore carries a particular significance for many Iranian families, with educational institutions also serving as venues for programs commemorating those killed during the recent conflict.

Flag Day marked alongside school reopening

The beginning of the academic year also coincides with the official observance of Iran's National Flag Day, after the first day of Mehr was designated as the occasion in the country's official calendar.

Culture and Islamic Guidance Minister Abbas Salehi marked the occasion in a message emphasizing the historical and cultural significance of the Iranian flag and its connection to the country's national identity.

Salehi wrote that the Iranian flag has existed in the hearts of Iranians long before it is raised symbolically over buildings and on flagpoles, invoking figures from Iranian history and mythology, including Kaveh the Blacksmith and Arash the Archer, as symbols associated with the defense and preservation of Iran.

He described the flag as a summary of Iran's history, saying that the country's people have repeatedly paid a heavy price to preserve their land and continued to rebuild after periods of hardship.

In his message, Salehi also referred to the three colors of the Iranian flag, saying that green represents the hope of a nation that rises again after every wound, while white reflects the longstanding aspiration for peace and tranquility.

He said the red of the flag has acquired an especially painful and significant meaning in the wake of recent events, referring to children martyred in Minab, Lamerd and other Iranian cities and villages.

“These children, whose share of the world should still have been school, play and dreams, have now become part of Iran's national memory and pain,” Salehi said.

He added that the designation of the first day of Mehr as National Flag Day should be understood not simply as the creation of a new occasion, but as recognition of a longstanding historical reality.

“Iranians, centuries before such a day was written into the calendar, stood, fought, built and gave their lives for the flag and for what this flag represents,” Salehi said.

The minister also rejected the idea that threats, sanctions, military strikes or the killing of children could separate Iranians from their identity and homeland.

“Those outside these borders who still believe that they can separate a nation from its identity and homeland through threats, sanctions, bombing or the spilling of children's blood have not read Iran's history,” he said.

“The Iranian flag cannot be taken from a nation that for centuries has carried it not only over its buildings, but on its shoulders through history.”

Schools host cultural and educational programs

The new academic year is also accompanied by a range of cultural and educational programs in schools across the country.

The coincidence of the beginning of the academic year with Sacred Defense Week, which commemorates the start of the eight-year war imposed on Iran in the 1980s by the regime of Saddam Hussein, has led to programs in schools to commemorate the period and honor those who defended the country.

The designation of National Flag Day followed the public response during what Iranian officials have described as the 12-day imposed war and the subsequent defense during Ramadan.

The issue of formally recognizing a day dedicated to the national flag was raised in the Supreme Council of Culture and approved before receiving confirmation from the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution.

The first day of Mehr was subsequently designated as National Flag Day in the official calendar.

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