Videos and reports received by Iran International showed 11th- and 12th-grade students protesting in multiple cities on Monday, calling on authorities to revise the timetable for final examinations.
The students say the short gaps between exams, combined with the proximity of final tests to the national university entrance exam, have increased pressure and reduced opportunities for study.
"We do not have enough time to prepare for both the final exams and the university entrance exam," one protesting student told Iran International.
The final exams were originally scheduled to begin in late May but were postponed following disruptions linked to recent events and the aftermath of the conflict between the Islamic Republic and the United States.
The dispute comes after education officials said the exam calendar had been arranged to conclude before Arbaeen, the annual Shiite pilgrimage marking 40 days after the killing of the third Shiite Imam.
On June 6, Hossein Sadeghi, head of the Education Ministry's information center and public relations office, said final exams were scheduled to end before the event so students could benefit from what he described as Arbaeen's "spiritual and educational opportunity."
The controversy touches on a longstanding debate in Iran over the role of religious ideology in education. Critics of the Islamic Republic's policies argue that authorities frequently align academic and civic programs with religious events as part of broader efforts to promote the state's ideological and religious narrative.
Some students, however, have objected to the timetable and are calling for exams to be postponed until after Arbaeen, arguing that the compressed schedule has reduced the time available for preparation.
Students seek timetable revision
Students had circulated calls in recent days urging classmates to join demonstrations and press officials to change the exam schedule.
In some provinces, including Lorestan, parents joined the gatherings and discussed the students' demands with education officials.
Several students also criticized what they described as efforts to prevent the protests from gaining visibility.
A student in Mashhad told Iran International that officials warned participants that city surveillance cameras would record their presence and that they could later be questioned about attending the gathering.
Another student said demonstrations outside education offices in Tehran and Karaj were quickly dispersed and participants were not allowed to continue protesting. Some students later gathered outside the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution building, according to the same account.
Education policies draw repeated criticism
The latest protests follow earlier demonstrations over education policies, including the weighting of 11th-grade final exam scores in university admissions and the format of final examinations.
On June 2, groups of 11th- and 12th-grade students gathered outside the Education Ministry in Tehran, calling for the cancellation of a policy that gives 11th-grade scores a decisive role in university entrance results, or at least changing it to a positive weighting system.
Students have repeatedly complained about changes to exam schedules, testing procedures and university admission regulations, warning that frequent policy shifts have disrupted educational planning and increased psychological pressure.
The issue has also spread beyond secondary education. On Sunday, graduate and doctoral students at Tehran's Islamic Azad University protested outside the university's central offices against the decision to hold exams in person while the whole term courses were held online.
