IRNA � Iranian Minister of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) urged all on Wednesday to make efforts to prepare the ground for university students, professors, teachers and school students to use cyberspace as an opportunity for education sector.

Cyberspace is a chance for both continuing education and remaining healthy, Mohammad-Javad Azari-Jahromi said at a council meeting in the northwestern Iranian province of Zanjan.

Azari-Jahromi is in Zanjan to review the level of access to internet and national information network in the Iranian provinces including Zanjan.

At his remarks, the minister said 86,000 schools in the country have joined national information network.

National information network with 500 gigabyte capacity will give services to schools, meanwhile, just five gigabytes of that capacity is used because the schools have not opened completely yet.

Ceremony on the beginning of the new school year was held across Iran on September 5 with protective health protocols.

At the ceremony with participation of President Hassan Rouhani, Minister of Education Mohsen Haji-Mirzaei said that the students were provided with disinfectants and face masks to ensure their safety in the pandemic period.

About 14 million Iranian families have involved in education of their children, so secure infrastructure network will pave the way for students being provided with education while their health conditions are maintained, the minister noted.

Speaking about social network (Shad) which is free of charge, as the president has said, for students, the minister said the network is giving educational services and there has been no network problem yet.

The ICT Ministry has plan to provide all rural areas across Iran with access to internet and national information network by the end of the Iranian year on March 20, 2021, Azari-Jahromi said.

At the opening ceremony on the new school year in Iran, President Rouhani underlined the importance of starting the educational year for kids despite the pandemic situation.

The president said it is wrong to look at health and education as two separate issues.