New school year in Iran begins with the absence of students and teachers martyred in Israel’s war of aggression

This year’s first day of school, usually filled with joy and excitement, carries a heavy sorrow: the empty seats of teachers, professors, students, and pupils who became victims of Israel’s long-standing campaign of “educide” and “scholasticide.” As part of its genocidal assault on Gaza, Israel deliberately targeted and killed numerous students, teachers, and academics.

Israel’s aggression against Iran in the closing days of the last academic year damaged 36 schools located near the regime’s claimed targets. These schools were quickly repaired and reopened their doors on September 23, 2025, but the damage went beyond buildings.

The attacks delayed final exams in several schools and universities and inflicted a devastating human cost: 34 students and 7 teachers (including two retired educators) were killed. Their absence in classrooms and behind desks is painfully visible as the new year begins.

Names like Alisan, Taha, Fatemeh, Ali, Reyhaneh, Mahya, Helena, Mohammadreza, Soheil, Mohammadhossein, Mahdiseh, Yas, Amirali, Amirabbas, Parham, Ehsan, Matin, Seyed Hamidreza, and Armin are among the students whose childhood and education were stolen. Many of them had just finished their academic year and were beginning their summer play when the strikes claimed their lives.

Thirteen of the martyred students were in preschool or early primary school. Twenty-two came from Tehran. The youngest among them, Alisan and Taha, were due to start school this year, but their dreams of education were cut short, leaving their families with incomplete memories and an everlasting grief.

The attacks also claimed the lives of 16 university professors and 11 students, who will no longer be present in classrooms this year.

Esmaeil Baghaei, spokesperson of Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, wrote on X (formerly Twitter):

“For us Iranians, everything begins with Mehr. This year, we begin with the memory of 34 schoolchildren martyred by Israel’s assault on our homeland — innocent children whose absence will be felt in painting classes, in joyful moments, and in their perfect scores…”

The martyrdom of Iranian schoolchildren in Israel’s attack adds a new tragic chapter to the history of the Islamic Republic. During the eight-year war imposed by Saddam Hussein’s Ba’athist regime, 36,000 Iranian students were killed.

Undoubtedly, the martyred students of Iran remain an integral part of the nation’s proud history — immortalized as legends of sacrifice.