Tehran, Jan 18 (EFE).- Iran took another step toward normality on Sunday with the reopening of schools after a nine-day closure ordered amid anti-government protests that have rocked the country since late December, although universities remain closed.
“All schools in the country are open,” the Iranian Ministry of Education said, according to state television.
The ministry said that in some provinces classes will be conducted virtually for meteorological reasons only, as access to the global internet remains cut off nationwide since Jan. 8. Teaching is being carried out through local applications.
Regarding secondary education, the ministry said exams will be held according to the previously scheduled calendar.
Universities, however, among the main centers of protest since early January, remain closed, with end-of-semester exams postponed indefinitely and no new dates announced.
Iranian authorities ordered the closure of educational institutions on Jan. 10 after protests peaked two days earlier and were met with harsh repression.
According to the Oslo-based opposition NGO Iran Human Rights, the crackdown has resulted in more than 3,400 deaths.
On Saturday, Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, acknowledged the deaths of “several thousand people” during the unrest and accused the United States of instigating the protests.
The protests escalated on Jan. 8, prompting authorities to cut all communications and global internet access nationwide.
Demonstrations began on Dec. 28, when merchants in Tehran shut their businesses in protest against the collapse of the rial, but quickly spread across the country, with chants of “Death to the Islamic Republic” and “Death to Khamenei.”
After several days of relative calm, authorities restored domestic SMS services on Saturday, days after international outgoing calls were reactivated. EFE
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