Iranian vice president: Smart schools a platform for innovation, technology

Iran’s Vice President for Science, Technology, and Knowledge-Based Economy said that smart schools can transform the country’s education system by turning students from consumers of knowledge into producers of ideas and technology.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony of two SAMPAD (National Organization for the Development of Exceptional Talents) smart schools in Shahriar, Hossein Afshin described the initiative as “a fundamental shift in education,” adding that “a nation with intelligent education owns the future, because the future belongs to those who prepare their children for tomorrow, not yesterday.”

The two middle schools were completed with the participation of the Vice Presidency for Science and Technology and several knowledge-based companies, and inaugurated by the president alongside senior officials, including the minister of education and the governor of Tehran Province.

Afshin noted that the construction, completed in only 120 days on President Massoud Pezeshkian’s order, symbolizes a broader educational vision.

“The president’s goal is not merely building schools, but transforming the mindset behind education, integrating hardware and software innovation to shape the next generation,” he said.

He emphasized that national progress and technological advancement begin with “intelligent, equitable, and innovative education.”