Iran’s Ministry of Interior has announced that it is prepared to provide remote education to Afghan students who were deported to Afghanistan in recent months as part of the country’s crackdown on undocumented migrants.
Nader Yarahmadi, head of the Foreign Nationals and Immigrants Affairs Office at the Interior Ministry, said the government is offering online instruction for Afghan schoolchildren who have been forced to leave Iran. According to Iranian media reports, approximately 280,000 Afghan students have returned to Afghanistan following Iran’s mass deportation campaign.
“So far, none of the students or their families have requested access to this service, and the offer has not been welcomed,” Mr. Yarahmadi said, adding that the program remains available. Iranian officials routinely refer to Afghan migrants as “foreign nationals” or “aliens.”
Despite the expulsions, Yarahmadi said around 300,000 Afghan students remain enrolled in Iran’s public education system for the current academic year, with registration still ongoing.
He noted that the remote learning plan was developed following the cancellation of residency and census documents for many Afghan nationals under the government’s deportation policy. Though the ministry has yet to receive formal interest from returnee families, he emphasized that Iran is willing to provide the digital infrastructure, including free access to its migrant registration platform, to facilitate continued schooling. Students, he added, would be responsible only for internet costs.
Iran, which hosts one of the world’s largest populations of Afghan refugees and migrants, has accelerated its deportations in recent months, citing national security and economic concerns. Rights groups and education advocates have warned that returning children face disrupted schooling and increased vulnerability, particularly under the Taliban-led government in Kabul.
