TEHRAN – The sound of school bells and the cheerful voices of children once again filled classrooms across the country on Monday. Students resumed education after the US-Israeli war last year left a trail of damaged schools.
Behind the celebrations, however, were classrooms scarred by war and the painful memory of students and teachers whose lives were cut short in attacks on educational centers. For many, the start of the new academic year is therefore more than a return to school — it is a sign of hope, resilience and a determination to rebuild.
President Masoud Pezeshkian attended the opening ceremony at a girls’ elementary school in Tehran, where he rang the bell marking the start of the new school year. The ceremony came as schools across the country returned to classrooms after months in which the education system was forced to cope with the consequences of the war, damaged infrastructure and the loss of members of the school community.
The return to school has taken on a significance beyond the traditional start of an academic year. For students and teachers, the new school year begins with the memory of classmates and colleagues who will not return to their classrooms.
During the US-Israeli military strikes against Iran that began on February 28, schools and other civilian facilities were among the sites affected by attacks. According to the School Renovation, Development and Equipping Organization, 1,288 schools across the country were damaged, including 16 that sustained direct hits and required extensive reconstruction or rehabilitation.
Officials said reconstruction efforts were accelerated in the months following the conflict. By the eve of the new academic year, 1,272 damaged schools had reportedly been restored and returned to the education system, allowing them to reopen their doors to students.
But in Minab, in southern Hormozgan Province, the return to school carries a much heavier meaning.
On February 28, Shajareh Tayyebeh Primary School in Minab was struck during the opening hours of the war. The attack killed more than 150 people, including about 120 children. The school was hit while classes were underway, turning a place intended for learning and safety into the site of one of the deadliest attacks on civilians.
The tragic event marked a war crime, an indiscriminate attack on children and civilians that shattered the dreams of 168 families amidst smoke and rubble.
The new academic year in the city has always been filled with excitement, busy roads, colorful uniforms and backpacks, the smell of new books, notebooks, pencils, and parents escorting their children to school. But this year, the atmosphere of the schools feels different.
This year, Mehr, the first month of autumn in the Iranian calendar, begins with a heavy heart, as the voices of many innocent students are missing from classrooms after they were killed in attacks by the aggressors.
What was targeted in Minab by the enemies was not merely the fragile bodies of students, but a generation that could have helped to build a brighter future for the country.
This academic year, the bells of the schools ring, echoing a heart-wrenching grief for bereaved families, the city, and the country. But it resonates with an eternal pledge that transcends mere mourning.
The school bell has to ring to have a dynamic, vibrant, informed society. To avoid having a corroded society, the bells of the schools have to ring persistently without falling silent.
The schools will run to provide every individual and every single talent the opportunity to flourish and thrive. The schools will be a haven, resilient and secure against harms and crises. The schools will serve as centers for comprehensive development of individuals across moral, scientific, social, biological, artistic, and technological dimensions.
The schools will be the voice of the innocent children, safeguard the rights of students, and punish the aggressors, confirming that the banner of awareness, knowledge, and the pursuit of justice will remain raised.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: tehrantimes.com
