Children and School Exams in War Conditions
Iran, with approximately 15.5 million students and 133,700 schools, continues to face a severe shortage of educational infrastructure. Around 20,000 schools and 104,000 classrooms require renovation or reinforcement, and thousands of students study in shipping container classrooms, stone schools, mud-and-thatch huts, and other non-standard facilities. Under wartime conditions, these worn-out and unsafe infrastructures expose students to even greater risks. In such circumstances, holding examinations and forcing students to attend educational centers can seriously endanger their right to safety, mental health, and safe education.
Students’ Rights
Holding examinations without fully guaranteeing the security of students, ignoring the psychological pressure and anxiety caused by war, creating educational inequality among students across different regions, lacking sufficient support for affected, sick, or underprivileged students, making decisions without the participation of families and disregarding their concerns, and lacking a clear plan for emergency education and exams.
Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran
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Article 2: Preserving human dignity; holding exams under unsafe conditions may violate this principle.
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Article 3: Elimination of discrimination; all students must enjoy equal educational opportunities.
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Article 30: Right to education; the government is obligated to provide safe, free, and suitable education for all students.
UN Charter of Human Rights
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Article 2: Emphasizes non-discrimination; all students must enjoy equal opportunities.
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Article 3: Guarantees personal security; children require special protection during war.
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Article 26: Recognizes the right to education for all; education must be provided in a safe and suitable environment.
Convention on the Rights of the Child
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Article 3: The best interests of the child must be a primary consideration in all decisions.
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Article 24: Children’s physical and mental health must be protected.
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Article 28: The right to education for children must be guaranteed under all conditions.
Duties of the Government
Under wartime conditions, the security, mental health, and right to education of students must be a priority. Holding examinations without attention to critical conditions can cause psychological and educational damage. The government must protect children’s rights by creating safe conditions, providing psychological support, ensuring educational justice, and involving families.
Defense of Human Rights Association in Iran
Defense of Defense of the Rights of Child and Adolescent Committee
Translated by Alireza Jahan Bin
