Afghan kids feel love from China

TEHERAN－Arezou Shah Mohammadi, an Iranian blogger on Chinese social media, conveyed a "message of love" from China to a special group－children of Afghan immigrants in Iran.

In the southwestern district of Iran's capital Teheran, there is a compact school for Afghan children named Farhang, or "culture" in Farsi.

Nader Mousavi, the school's principal, who is also an Afghan immigrant, established the school with his friends two decades ago, as many Afghan immigrant students were denied education at Iranian public schools.

Due to its shared border, close culture, mature social network and other factors, analysts note that Iran has been one of the largest recipient countries of Afghan refugees. More than 3 million Afghans are living in Iran, 780,000 of whom are refugees, over 2 million are undocumented and 600,000 are Afghan passport holders with Iranian visas, according to Iranian media.

Mousavi recruited teachers for the new school, most of whom were also asylum seekers that had fortunately received education in Iran.

"We were all from the same race and came together. We understood each other and understood our shared problems. Being together was a great encouragement that enabled both us and the students to love the school," Mousavi recalls, adding that many of the children who started school at Farhang later continued their education and eventually returned to become teachers at the school.

Last year, when Mohammadi planned to produce a video about Afghan refugees living in Iran on her social media page, the school came to mind.

After a phone conversation with Mousavi, she learned that most of the 251 students are taking online classes at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and many of them do not even own a separate desk at home to do their homework on. They have to sit on the floor with their backs bent, reading and writing.

Also, the school's operation has been restricted by a lack of funds and life is not easy for the educators. The income of each full-time teacher is only about $30 per month, barely enough to maintain a minimum standard of living, while part-time teachers work free of charge.