Air Pollution and Threats to Children's Rights; a Approach to the Conflict between the Right to Education and the Right to Health

After the reduction of the pandemic and the Reestablishment of in-person education, now the increase in air pollution has once again challenged in-person Learning in the country. Before this, the superiority of in-person education over pure virtual training has been determined in studies and reviews. However, the decision on in-person education in the conditions of pollution, despite the provision of the right to education, has resulted in the violation of the right to the health of children, and provokes conflict between rights and so differences in approaches. This research will be done with the aim of finding solutions to solve this national dilemma.

This research is carried out in a descriptive-analytical way using library sources and scientific reports.

Acknowledging that the right to health is considered one of the fundamental rights of children and prior to the right to education, it is necessary to avoid unilateral decisions and by forming a scientific working group as the advisory arm of the emergency committee or directly as a consulting party of the President, including representatives of the Ministry of Health and Medical Education, Ministry of Education and Department of Environment and the special envoy of the president who is a child rights specialist, in order to determine actual and potential harms and threats caused by exposure to pollution for students in balance with the effects of deprivation from in-person Learning and also considering the environmental facilities, conditions of schools and the capacity of online education, along with monitoring the views of children and parents especially through parents and students councils, take logical decisions based on scientific data in this field.  

The approach of Blended Semi-Presential Learning with a codified and coherent program whose favorable effects on the improvement of the education situation along with reducing the costs and risks of in-person education are obvious, will be a solution to reconcile the right to education and the right to the health for children of Iran.