Plans are underway to connect all Iranian rural and urban schools to the National Information Network free of charge to curb educational disparity.
Information and Communication Technologies Minister Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi said on Twitter on Wednesday, “With the collaboration of the Education Ministry, all the schools are now connected to high-speed internet, giving the school students of all grades access to online education,” Peivast reported.
The National Information Network is a local network described by Islamic Republic authorities as an alternative, independent network with content compatible with Islamic values to facilitate Iranian users’ access to indigenous content.
With the most recent connection of 44,000 schools in less-developed rural areas to the educational network last week, the number of schools with internet access surpassed 86,000.
“This prepares a strong infrastructure for virtual education. The implementation of the plan was to finish by the end of the last Iranian yearend [March 2020], but impediments in supplying equipment put off the work till the present,” Jahromi said.
Following the request of President Hassan Rouhani at the underway held with the Plan and Budget Organization, internet service providers and mobile network operators to provide free internet access to students.
Rouhani had said internet traffic should be free from using the Education Ministry’s Shad application, which gives public schools a platform to connect teachers and students in a safe environment.
“Today, I ordered the Plan and Budget Organization as well as the ICT Ministry to provide free internet for Shad, so students and families pay no cost,” the president said at the meeting.
Rouhani stressed that no student should be left out of the education system, adding that state TV will also use its resources to grant learners access to educational content.
Speaking to the local media, Jahromi said the ICT Ministry is also designing a project to provide high-speed internet access for all universities by the current yearend (March 2021).
According to the minister, there are around 1,000 universities around the country, which will be connected to NIN via fiber optic.
Schools closed days after the outbreak was detected in the then-epicenter of Qom, located in central parts of Iran.
The use of internet in the last school year drew criticism, as many students in underdeveloped regions lacked the technological means to participate in classes.
Providing internet connection for schools have seen ups and downs for a long while, but the ICT and education ministries’ initiative last year to upgrade schools into smart educational centers, is seemingly putting an end to the several-year saga.
The agreement between the two ministries includes various measures, such as connecting all schools to NIN and equipping them with basic modern tools needed by students and teachers.
Smart Schools
According to Jahromi, only 23,000 schools in Iran are considered smart schools where, by definition, advanced equipment and technology are used to take the educational process forward.
Ideally, a fully smart school is supposed to have smartboards, high-speed internet connectivity, laptops for all students and video projectors.
Smart schools are expected to conduct all services, including the process of enrolling students, teaching and conducting tests, on a digital platform.
Besides the gradual conversion of conventional schools to smart centers since last academic year, officials began to evaluate and rank smart schools based on the access of students and teachers to information and communication technologies.
With the implementation of the new evaluation plan, smart schools will be thoroughly assessed and ranked, and the amount of digital content offered to the students will be reviewed. This will help parents select the right school for their children.
This will also prevent schools from overstating their technological capabilities and overcharging parents.
Database Formation
The task of equipping schools with ICTs and network connectivity commenced last year, along with a parallel project for digitalizing the documents of all students.
Since last autumn, schools were ordered to store the documents of all first graders in electronic systems to expedite the processing of applications, increase transparency and curb paper use.
According to Mehdi Sharafi, the head of Education Ministry’s ICT Office, the move is in line with upgrading schools to smart education centers and making students' information readily available to both teachers and parents.
"Currently, each student has an individual file in school, in which their personal information, school report sheets, classroom activities and any other report related to their educational performance are stored," he said.
At the end of each academic year, the paper files are archived in schools, occupying a large space and adding to injudicious paper use.
“If these documents are replaced with electronic files, they will become more accessible to teachers who can get a perspective of the students' strong and weak points at a glance,” he said.
Sharafi noted that the digitization eliminates the need for parents to visit schools, especially since the coronavirus is prevailing nationwide, as they can enquire about their kids' progress or other issues electronically.
