Tasnim – All schools in Iran will reopen as of Saturday, May 16, after almost three months of closure in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, the minister of education announced.

Speaking to the state TV on Tuesday, Iranian Education Minister Mohsen Haji Mirzaee said the schools will reopen on coming Saturday.

The teachers and school staff will be available at schools in the working hours, and the students will attend classes to ask their questions and get prepared for the exams, the minister added.

The schools can also run the final exams as of next week as soon as the students’ problems with the lessons are addressed, Haji Mirzaee noted.

The education minister underlined that all schools across the country have received the health protocols and instructions from the Health Ministry and will be obligated to observe the health rules when the students return to classes.

The educational centers in Iran have been closed since late February following the outbreak of COVID-19.

While the pandemic shut down schools and forced people to stay home to prevent the spread of the disease, the Ministry of Education launched a homegrown mobile application, dubbed SHAD (HAPPY), providing students with distance learning programs.

Moreover, the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) also began to broadcast televised educational programs on a daily schedule immediately after the school closures.