School closures after the recent US-Israeli military attacks on Iran have left deep and potentially lasting damage on the country’s education system. What began as an emergency response to security concerns quickly turned into one of the most serious disruptions to learning in recent years, exposing structural weaknesses in digital education and widening inequality among students.
Following the attacks in late February, in-person education was suspended nationwide to protect students and school staff. Schools were forced to shift entirely to remote learning through the Shad student network, televised lessons and, in some areas, physical learning packages. While these measures prevented a complete shutdown of education, they also brought a sharp decline in both the quality and accessibility of learning.
According to a report by the Majlis Research Center, effective teaching time dropped by more than 60% after schools moved online. Because of technical limitations in the Shad platform and restrictions on simultaneous access, most students received only around two hours of online instruction per day. Compared to normal school schedules, this created a major gap in teaching hours and significantly reduced the depth of learning.
This problem is especially serious in primary education, where direct interaction between teachers and students plays a central role in building basic reading, writing and mathematical skills. In virtual classrooms, teachers have less ability to monitor student progress, provide immediate feedback or adjust lessons based on individual learning needs. Skill-based and practical subjects have also suffered because they are difficult to teach effectively through online platforms or television.
The report also warns that at least 2 million students may have been effectively excluded from education during this period. Iran has nearly 16 million students, but the Shad platform can only support around 12 million users in a staggered format and roughly 2 million simultaneously. Many students, especially in low-income families, lack stable internet access or the smart devices needed to join online classes. For these students, remote education has meant educational exclusion rather than continuity.
This digital divide threatens to deepen existing inequalities across regions and income groups. In provinces such as Khuzestan, where schools had already faced repeated closures because of pollution, extreme weather, energy shortages and other disruptions, the shift to full virtual learning created even greater pressure on students and families.
Hidden Illiteracy
Another major concern is the declining credibility of academic evaluation. With the cancellation of many in-person exams and weaker supervision over online testing, schools face growing difficulty in measuring real learning outcomes. Students may advance to higher grades without mastering essential skills, increasing the risk of what education experts describe as “hidden illiteracy”—formal promotion without real learning.
But the impact of school closures goes beyond textbooks and exams. Schools are also social spaces where children develop communication skills, emotional awareness, discipline and a sense of belonging. Remote learning weakens these functions and reduces opportunities for students to build the soft skills that shape long-term personal and professional success.
At the same time, the psychological burden of war has made learning even harder. Fear of attacks, displacement, uncertainty and emotional stress have reduced concentration and motivation for many students. Teachers, too, are working under the same pressure. In normal times, schools can provide structure and emotional stability for children. During conflict, that role becomes even more important—yet harder to maintain.
The Majlis Research Center argues that protecting education during wartime is not simply a policy issue but a matter of national resilience. Interruptions in learning today can create economic and social costs for years to come. Lost learning in primary school often reappears later as weaker academic performance, lower productivity and reduced social mobility.
To reduce these damages, the report recommends giving more authority to provincial education offices, local districts and school principals. Since the intensity of disruption differs across the country, local managers should have greater flexibility to adjust class schedules, assessment methods and remedial programs based on regional conditions.
It also proposes extending the academic year by one or two months, potentially through late June or July, and increasing daily virtual instruction from two hours to four by dividing classes between morning and evening sessions. Similar strategies were used in Britain during the Covid-19 pandemic and in Iran during the 1990s to recover lost learning time.
Most importantly, the report stresses the need to strengthen the digital foundations of education. Expanding the technical capacity of Shad, providing free internet access for students and teachers, and helping low-income families purchase affordable smart devices are no longer optional support measures. They are essential investments in preventing a long-term education crisis.
The war may have begun with military strikes, but some of its deepest consequences are appearing quietly inside classrooms—or in many cases, in the absence of classrooms. If these educational wounds are left untreated, their effects will outlast the conflict itself.
