Free AI and Programming Education for High School Students

The Director General of the Office for Upper Secondary Education at Iran’s Ministry of Education announced that free education in artificial intelligence and programming will be provided to all high school students, along with numerous rewards. He described the initiative as a practical step toward achieving educational equity and developing a skilled future workforce.

According to ISNA news agency, Ebrahim Rafiei stated at a meeting of leading provincial specialized working groups for the National Digital Skills Program that, under Article 66 of Iran’s Seventh Five-Year Development Plan, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology are required to expand digital education. He explained that the program targets two main groups: government employees, including teachers, and students, who represent the country’s future productive workforce.

Rafiei noted that while digital skills had previously been addressed to some extent through the Technology course in lower secondary school, more comprehensive and structured training was needed. Following coordination among ministers and deputy ministers, an institution was appointed by the Ministry of ICT to implement the courses. Beginning in September, the project focused on introducing teachers to digital skills.

He explained that the initial goal was to familiarize the program’s instructors and promoters with the content. During this phase, a general AI course was delivered through the Shad educational network, attracting nearly 180,000 participants, primarily educators. According to Rafiei, from September to February the primary focus was teacher training, while student training began in February. Students did not receive instruction through general online platforms; instead, they used a dedicated digital-skills platform that was available both online and offline and was supported by educational resource packages. 

Rafiei also described a spring initiative that ran from April until May 24 (the anniversary of the Liberation of Khorramshahr). During this program, outstanding students, schools, and active districts were recognized each week. A second phase, called the “Eidiyeh” (Holiday Gift) program, has now begun: 

• 71,000 teachers completed the foundational training through the Shad network.
• 179,000 teachers joined the channel providing the courses.
• 38,000 students are actively participating.
• 2,100 teachers and 5,000 students are currently being monitored for progress.
• 1,520 teachers and 80,600 students have completed Python programming training.

Rafiei said that the next phase will emphasize deeper, project-based learning. Students and teachers will be assigned practical projects, since the program is not intended to remain purely theoretical. Participants who successfully complete their projects will advance to subsequent stages. In the summer, in-person training sessions will begin and will be hosted at educational research centers.

He also announced a national festival for top participants in the fourth stage of the program. Approximately 3,000 teachers from earlier rounds will be narrowed down to 300 final award-winning teachers, while 1,000 outstanding students will be selected. These students will reach a level of AI expertise qualifying them as mentors, capable of teaching others at regional and national levels. This approach is intended to make the program self-sustaining, enabling the education system to rely on trained participants as future instructors.

Rafiei stated that students who achieve national-level excellence will be introduced to private and public institutions as highly capable candidates for employment. He highlighted the role of private-sector organizations recommended by the Ministry of ICT and described the initiative as one of the strategic programs of the Office for Upper Secondary Education. The first implementation phase will take place this summer and is expected to continue in future years.

Discussing the program’s broader goals, Rafiei said:

“The aim is that any student entering any type of high school in Iran can receive this training completely free of charge, participate in a scientific competition, and earn increasingly valuable rewards as they progress. With sufficient skills, they may even work as teachers or instructors in this field in the private sector.”

He emphasized that skills development and educational equity are the program’s primary objectives, achieved through collaboration between the Ministries of Education and Communications, with support from the private sector.