Technology
2. Technology laws, policies, plans and regulations
2.1. Education technology legislative and policy framework
2.2. Technology infrastructures, technological capacity of schools and learning environments
2.3. Technology competencies of learners and teachers
3.1. Institutions in charge of technology in education and coordination mechanisms
1. Terminology
The 1979 Constitution (Amended in 1989) refers to “technology” and “education” without providing definitions.
The 2003 Ministry of Communications and Information Technology Duties and Powers Act mentions the term “information and communication technology (ICT)” without defining it.
The (2011-2015) 5th Five-Year Economic, Social and Cultural Development Plan (5NDP) refers to “distance and media education” and “ICT”, while the (2016-2021) 6th Five-Year Economic, Social and Cultural Development Plan (6NDP) refers to “smart schools, virtual, electronic, and remote education”.
The 2025 Document on the fundamental transformation of education refers to the following terms “education technology (EdTech) and e-content".
The 2022 Policies for the Creation and Promotion of National Educational, Training, Research, Technology and Innovation Platforms defines the "National Educational, Research, Technology and Innovation Network" as “mutual communication in the layer of educational and technology content between different systems, which has the ability to report and aggregate data at a macro level".
2. Technology laws, policies, plans and regulations
2.1. Education technology legislative and policy framework
Constitution and laws: Article 3 of the 1979 Constitution (Amended in 1989) states that education is free at all levels and that innovative areas of science, technology, and culture must be encouraged. Article 30 confirms the right to free education “The government must provide all citizens with free education up to secondary school and expand free higher education to the extent required by the country for attaining self-sufficiency". Article 43 focuses on the economic independence of the society through “the utilization of science and technology, and the training of skilled personnel in accordance with the developmental needs of the country's economy”.
Article 1 of the 2003 Ministry of Communications and Information Technology Duties and Powers Act considers the significant evolution of science and technology in cultural and economic affairs transformation of the administrative system. The law does not refer to education.
The 2022 Resolution "Establishing a special working group for the digital economy” No. 123313 aims to develop digital economy infrastructures and citizens’ digital skills.
Policies, plans and strategies: The 2025 Vision, adopted in 2005, programmed the transition from a resource-based economy to a knowledge-based economy. Starting from the 4th National Development Plan, the NDPs were then introduced to “realize the knowledge-based economy, increase productivity, regulate the reciprocal relationship between education and employment, expand international cooperation and active interactions, and increase the role of people in the country's scientific and technological management”.
Article 19 of the (2011-2015) 5th Five-Year Economic, Social and Cultural Development Plan (5NDP) for education included the following priorities: “the use of information and communication technology in all processes to achieve educational justice and facilitate existing processes and to provide educational programmes and courses electronically”; the 5NDP added that " The Ministry of Education is obliged to provide distance and media education and to provide nutrition, commuting, health and other matters related to boarding schools in order to ensure access to fair educational opportunities in proportion to gender and the needs of regions, especially in less developed areas and to eliminate educational deprivation”. The General Policies of the 5NDP aim to achieve advanced technologies and transform the education system to improve its quality based on the needs and priorities of the country through knowledge, skills and education.
The development of smart schools then became part of the Ministry of Education's efforts to implement as part of the e-government programmes. Smart schools' programmes were officially included in Article 69 of the (2016-2021) 6th Five-Year Economic, Social and Cultural Development Plan (6NDP) in which "the provision of electronic access to textbooks, troubleshooting, academic counselling, educational computer games, talent assessment” became a priority. The same article mandates providing technical and social skills for free to all students in cities under 20,000 and villages and the margins of major cities.
The 2025 Document on the fundamental transformation of education demonstrates that education transformation depends on the 2025 Vision as a country that aims for a “high economic, scientific and technological position in the region” that is constructive and effective in international relations. The propositions to transform the public formal education system included the reliance on the smart use of new technologies and equipment in the formal public education system to improve the quality of education. In addition, the objective is to produce and use e-content and digitize textbooks based on the national curriculum and expand virtual education in special education and training programs for Iranian teachers and students. Finally, to fulfil the duty and educational role of the institution of media and communication technologies, it must prevent and control the negative effects and consequences of technology in education.
Digital competency frameworks: The 2022 Single Article for Compiling a Guide to the Development of Computational Thinking Curricula and Virtual Space Literacy No. 120/119441 obliges the Ministry of Education to develop a digital competency framework.
Changes occurred as a result of COVID-19: The Policies for the Creation and Promotion of National Educational, Training, Research, Technology and Innovation Platforms were approved in 2022 to support technology integration into schools. In addition to that, the 2022 Document of Requirements for the Electronic Education Systems and Student Educational Network (Shad) No.104008 was issued by the Supreme Council of Cyberspace to increase the stability and continuity of the student education network (Shad) as a part of the ecosystem and to guide to Ministry of Education to a post-COVID-19 education framework.
2.2. Technology infrastructures, technological capacity of schools and learning environments
2.2.1. Technology infrastructure and digital capacity of schools
Electricity: Article 49 of the Sixth NDP states that “the government is obliged to take the necessary measures to establish a regional market and establish a regional hub of electricity so that the country's electricity network connects from the north, south, east and west to neighbouring countries.”
Computers and devices: The 2025 Document on the fundamental transformation of education emphasizes the need to use modern construction technologies and educational equipment in designing and building educational spaces in accordance with the curriculum, educational standards, population changes, principles of urban planning and architecture, and climatic conditions.
No information was found on one laptop per child (OLPC), bring your own device/technology (BYOD/BYOT), and subsidies to parents and/or students for purchasing technological devices.
On the other hand, the 2021 Approval of the Cabinet of Ministers of the 1000 donated tablets was aimed to benefit orphans and poor students in remote areas so they can access virtual education.
Internet connectivity: Article 46 of the Fifth NDP affirms that the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology's priority is to provide high-speed access to executive agencies and subsidiary units, households and all businesses to connect to the National Information Network and the Internet.”
In the context of education, the 2025 Document on the fundamental transformation of education states that to improve the quality of education, there is a need to be developing the penetration rate of the national information and communication network (Internet) in schools to fill the digital gap between educational areas and creating a suitable mechanism for optimal and intelligent use by teachers and students.
2.2.2. Technology and learning environments
The approval of the 2022 Policies for the Creation and Promotion of National Educational, Training, Research, Technology and Innovation Platforms emphasizes the importance and establishment of the virtual education system and related technological infrastructures increasing public access to scientific and technological resources, especially for students, employees, teachers and professors. The law obliges all institutions to include the following policies: “Update and adapt to the latest capacity of new hardware and software technologies” and “Develop the necessary standards for producing and publishing educational content, including topics, resources and services related to teaching and learning processes, according to the needs and goals of each educational field.”
The 2022 Document of Requirements for the Electronic Education Systems and Student Educational Network (Shad) No.104008 states that the Ministry of Education should take the necessary measures to continue virtual education and training through content production and editing programs, holding simultaneous two-way and multi-person virtual classes, and the continuous promotion of virtual literacy of teachers and students.
COVID-19 response tools to deliver distance education online include the Network Education TV channel, Shadweb online channel, and Together for One Another Radio Channel.
2.3. Technology competencies of learners and teachers
2.3.1. Learners
The (2011-2015) 5th Five-Year Economic, Social and Cultural Development Plan (5NDP) included the priority to make changes in educational and curriculum programmes to obtain the required competencies based on the application of technology.
The 2019 National document for scientific, technological and cultural policies and action plans objectives included innovation in technology and fortification of skills and creative human capital at the national level. The plan specifies that the role of the Ministry of Education is to improve the curriculum and implement skills training for students for a knowledge-based economy.
The 2022 Single Article for Compiling a Guide to the Development of Computational Thinking Curricula and Virtual Space Literacy No. 120/119441 obliges the Ministry of Education to develop a framework and a cyberspace literacy curriculum guide on educational competencies and life skills in the new ecosystem known as the era of the fourth industrial revolution.
2.3.2. Teachers
No information has been found on digital skills and initial/in-service teacher training on technologies.
2.4. Cybersecurity and safety
2.4.1. Data privacy
No information has been found on a general data protection law; however, the 2022 Policies for the Creation and Promotion of National Educational, Training, Research, Technology and Innovation Platforms states that all institutions must be “Committed to having technical and legal security guarantees regarding the protection of the rights and privacy of users and public data of the country.”
Article 6 of the 2009 Free Access to Information Law states that “Request access to personal information is accepted only from natural persons to whom the information is concerned or their legal representative”, and Article 14 states that “if the requested information relates to the privacy of individuals or is among the information that has been studied in violation of privacy provisions, the access request must be denied.”
2.4.2. Online abuse and cyberbullying
The country has the 2009 Computer Crimes Law No. 71063, but it does not include information in the context of education
3. Governance
3.1. Institutions in charge of technology in education and coordination mechanisms
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is the guardian of the education process in all areas of secondary general education, including technology. The MOE and the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology lead the smartening school projects with the approvals of the Supreme Council of Cyberspace. The MCIT also cooperates with the responsible agencies to develop and provide the necessary e-infrastructure through annual budgets.
Management, planning and implementation of the 2022 Policies for the Creation and Promotion of National Educational, Training, Research, Technology and Innovation Platforms in the field of public education is the responsibility of the Ministry of Education which is obliged to submit its reports to the Supreme Council of Cultural Revolution at specific times.
Article 2 of the 2003 Ministry of Communications and Information Technology Duties and Powers Act states that the Ministry of Post and Telegraph and Telephone will be changed to "Ministry of Communications and Information Technology" and all duties, powers and responsibilities of the Minister and Ministry of the Post, Telegraph and Telephone are delegated to the Minister and the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology to be in line with the latest scientific, experimental and information technology advances in the world.
The High Council for Technical, Vocational and Skill Training coordinates policy-making and management in planning the country's technical, vocational and skill training system.
3.2. Roles of schools
No regulations on the roles of schools, including their management of digital devices or mobile phones, have been found.
