A Solution for Crisis Management or a Threat to Educational Equity?

The Ministry of Education has announced a shift in its approach to managing school closures, with decisions tailored to the conditions of each region. The policy aims to prevent nationwide closures and maintain the continuity of education.

According to Ambassador Arjan's report, Aghaz newspaper wrote: The Ministry of Education has announced a change of approach in managing school closures and making decisions according to the conditions of each region. This policy is followed with the aim of preventing nationwide shutdowns and maintaining the flow of education. But its implementation raises questions about educational justice, the quality of learning, and the ability of schools to continue education in critical conditions. With increasing speculations about the possibility of non-attendance of schools in the new academic year, the officials of the Ministry of Education have emphasized on the continuation of face-to-face education and avoiding unified decisions to close schools across the country.

According to the approach announced by Alireza Kazemi, the Minister of Education, the conditions of each region should be examined separately, and face-to-face education should be prioritized in areas that do not pose a threat to students and teaching staff. This policy, on the face of it, allows for more accurate management of emergency situations because the closure of a city or district does not necessarily lead to the suspension of education in other parts of a province or country. However, the central question is whether regional decision-making alone can prevent the harms of school closures or, if implemented unevenly, may lead to greater disparities in students' learning opportunities.

Alireza Kazemi, the Minister of Education, explained the government's policy in the face of emergency situations in the specialized meeting of Bejestan city and said that unlike some approaches in the past, there is not going to be a unified decision to close schools at the level of the country or the province. According to him, the main priority is the continuation of face-to-face education and the conditions of each region should be examined separately. Kazemi also announced the delegation of special powers to the Supply Council and governors to decide on reopening or changing the way schools operate. Based on this, local executive authorities can make decisions about how schools operate according to the specific conditions of each region. This approach means that in case of an emergency situation in a part of a province, all the schools of that province will not necessarily be closed. Also, in some areas, face-to-face training may continue and in other areas, based on the level of risk, non-face-to-face training or a combined model may be used.

Ali Farhadi, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Education, also emphasized that face-to-face education is still the principle and priority of this ministry, and announced that currently classrooms in the country are held face-to-face, and in case of special circumstances, a decision will be made to change the method of education according to the situation of the same region. Pointing out that at the time of making these statements, education was being followed virtually in some parts of Hormozgan province, he emphasized that the decision taken in one region does not necessarily extend to other provinces.

Farhadi has also explained that the new pattern of reopening schools is designed more than anything to create coordination in the education complex so that in case of special circumstances, it is possible to make a decision according to the situation of each region. One of the main reasons for the authorities' emphasis on the continuation of face-to-face activities of schools is the role of the school in educating students, a role that is defined beyond the transmission of information and the teaching of textbooks. The spokesperson of the Ministry of Education, referring to the difference between school and university education, has said that an important part of the school's function is related to education and training of life skills. According to him, daily order, attending school on time, taking responsibility, observing personal discipline and interacting with others are part of the process that is formed during the continuous presence of students in the educational environment. This point of view is also emphasized in the statements of Alireza Karmi, senior expert in philosophy of education, teacher and researcher in Hamadani.

In an interview with the reporter of "Agah" newspaper, Kerami stated that the purpose of education is not only to transfer information, he said: "In education, we are looking for education and this process takes place in the real world." If we reduce education to teaching and transferring information, virtual education can even be more efficient in transferring course materials; But the main goal of education is the education and growth of students, and this goal is realized in the real atmosphere and through the presence of the class. He added: "Students come together at school and encounter different cultures and viewpoints."

These interactions are part of the process of their growth and education, while transferring information alone is not a difficult task. Referring to the necessity of paying attention to the educational and training aspects of the school, this researcher clarified: if education is seen only from the point of view of information transfer, an important part of its function is ignored; However, it is not enough to pay attention only to the educational aspect, and education and training should be seen together. Referring to the conditions of the students at the beginning of the school year, Kerami said: Even after about a month has passed since the start of the school, some students are still not fully in the educational environment, and if the closure of the schools happens again, this issue can harm them in various ways.

In addition to the necessity of maintaining face-to-face education, one of the most important issues in the implementation of the regional closure policy is the issue of educational justice. Local decision-making can prevent unnecessary school closures in safe areas, but if there are long-term differences in the way and amount of education, the gap between students in different areas may widen. Kerami warned that the closure of schools in some areas and the continuation of face-to-face education in other areas, in the absence of compensation mechanisms, can affect educational justice. He explained: A student who attends the class face-to-face does not have the same conditions for learning as a student who is deprived of this possibility, however, both of them must compete with each other in tests such as entrance exams.

According to this teacher and researcher, the difference in class attendance, access to the teacher and the possibility of using educational facilities can lead to a difference in the level of learning, a difference that is not necessarily considered during the final evaluation of students. This issue becomes especially important when the closure of schools in a region is prolonged or the students of that region do not have access to the necessary facilities for non-attendance education. In such a situation, simply announcing the holding of virtual classes cannot guarantee that students have equal learning opportunities. Internet access, suitable tools, a quiet atmosphere for studying and family company are among the factors that can make the experience of non-attendance education different for students. From this point of view, the success of regional closure policy is not only dependent on the correct diagnosis of high-risk areas, but also depends on how the Ministry of Education prevents students from non-attendance areas from falling behind.

The responsibility is transferred to the family

The experience of closing schools during the Corona era and the subsequent courses of non-attendance education have shown that moving classes from school to virtual space does not necessarily mean maintaining the quality of education. In this way, part of the responsibility of following lessons and providing learning conditions is transferred to families; An issue that can be more difficult for working parents or low-income families. Referring to this issue, Kerami said: During virtual education, students should stay at home and use the facilities of virtual space to continue learning. According to this researcher, teachers had to follow up educational activities with their personal cell phones, and in some areas, families whose children did not have access to cell phones provided them with their cell phones. This experience shows that the implementation of non-attendance or combined education, without providing the necessary facilities, can put a double burden on the shoulders of teachers and parents. On the other hand, families do not have the same conditions in terms of time, financial ability, and the possibility of accompanying their children, and these differences can affect the quality of students' learning.

Emergency solution or a new challenge?

In the framework of the new policy, the possibility has also been raised that in some areas, training will be held in a combined manner; This means that students go to school on some days of the week and use virtual education on other days. This issue is also mentioned by Kerami. Referring to the possible harms of this method, Kerami said that the implementation of the combined model also creates important issues for teachers and parents. According to him, if part of education is done in school and another part is done at home, teachers have to manage the conditions of face-to-face and face-to-face education at the same time, and families have to allocate more time and resources to accompany their children. On the other hand, if the educational content is not properly designed in non-attendance days or if students do not have access to the necessary tools at home, the difference between well-off and low-off students may increase.

Why should school be the last option for closure?

Another issue raised in the discussion of closing schools is the impact of this decision on teaching time and student learning results.

Rizvan Hakimzadeh, the deputy of elementary education of the Ministry of Education, emphasized the importance of preserving the time of education and said that the duration of Iranian students' attendance at school, both in terms of the number of school days and the hours of daily attendance, is less compared to many countries. Pointing out that closing schools in cases such as air pollution, energy imbalance and snowfall has become a relatively common decision, he emphasized that this process can have a negative effect on students' learning time and educational results. Recalling the experience of the Corona era, Hakimzadeh also said that Iran was one of the countries that stopped face-to-face education for a longer period of time and this problem harmed the education of students.

The deputy of elementary education of the Ministry of Education also mentioned a report from the Research Institute of Education and Research, in which various factors of school closures, including the role of these closures in reducing energy imbalance, were investigated. According to him, the results of this survey showed that closing schools does not have much effect on reducing the energy imbalance, and for this reason, the decision about closing should be made more carefully. On this basis, Hakimzadeh demanded to revise the policies that make the school one of the first departments to be closed in critical situations.

From his point of view, in order to reduce unnecessary closures, in addition to planning within education, policies related to energy consumption and how to deal with emergency situations should also be reviewed. This view is in line with the recently announced policy of the Ministry of Education about regional decision-making; Because preventing the nationwide shutdown can allow the continuation of school activities in areas that are not facing serious danger or restrictions. However, saving time for education should not lead to ignoring the real risks to students and school staff. The priority of face-to-face education becomes meaningful when it is possible to ensure the safety and health of students in the school environment.