ICT Minister says youth empowerment thru technology to secure Iran’s progress

He made the statement in an article in the Tehran-based Iran Newspaper on Thursday describing the initiative as an opportunity to employ the advantages of technology for fostering knowledge, skills, creativity and the ability of Iran’s youth to secure a bright future for them.

Full text of the ICT Minister’s article follows:

“Iran Digital: Investing in Iran’s Future

Seyed Sattar Hashemi, Minister of Information and Communications Technology

Digital transformation cannot be achieved merely by developing infrastructure and providing access to technology. Behind every network, system and digital tool is a person who must be able to use it, solve problems with it and, at a more advanced stage, create technology themselves. That is why, when we talk about the digital economy and its future in Iran, one of the most important questions is: What have we done to educate and prepare the generation that this future will require?

The Iran Digital initiative begins from this very point. However, I do not regard it merely as an educational program to familiarize students with artificial intelligence and programming. Iran Digital is an effort to turn the opportunity to engage with emerging technologies into a public and accessible opportunity for students across the country, enabling the new generation not merely to consume technology, but to develop it.

The Iran Digital initiative began on a pilot basis in the second half of 2023 and entered the national implementation phase in June 2025. Today, with the number of students enrolled in the initiative having surpassed four million, we are witnessing an indication of the enormous potential that exists within the country’s younger generation.

Students participating in Iran Digital have so far registered more than 700,000 projects in the fields of artificial intelligence and Python, while more than 600,000 students have completed their training courses. These figures acquire real significance when we recognize that behind every project lies a learning experience, and behind every learning experience lies an opportunity to discover a talent.

For me, one of the most valuable aspects of this experience has been witnessing tangible changes in the life trajectories of these students. Ultimately, technology education acquires its true value when it can turn talent into opportunity and open up new horizons for the next generation. This opportunity, however, is equitable only when students’ access to the initiative does not depend solely on geography.

For this reason, one of the principles we have pursued in policymaking at the Ministry of ICT has been to place equity at the heart of our actions, rather than at their margins. Just as communications equity means providing fair access to communications services, educational equity in the field of technology means that every student, even in the most remote parts of the country, should have access to high-quality learning opportunities.

At the same time, an important factor in shaping this national experience must be emphasized. This initiative could not have reached such a scale without cooperation among government institutions and the private sector. Iran Digital is the result of cooperation between the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology, the Ministry of Education, the Vice Presidency for Science, Technology and Knowledge-Based Economy, as well as the participation of the private sector.

The experience of implementing this initiative demonstrates that the country’s major challenges, particularly in the field of digital transformation, cannot be addressed by relying solely on the capacity of a single institution. The government must be able to bring together the diverse capacities of different institutions while creating the conditions for effective and greater participation by the private sector and technology companies.

The importance of this issue becomes even clearer when viewed within the framework of the Seventh Development Plan. The plan has set a target of increasing the digital economy’s share to 10 per cent of GDP. Achieving such a target is not possible through the development of communications infrastructure alone. The country needs a skilled workforce capable of creating value in the digital economy. Therefore, investing in developing and enhancing students’ digital skills should be regarded as part of the country’s long-term investment in achieving a digital economy.

In this context, continuing education under difficult circumstances also carried an important message. During the period of the imposed war, more than 650,000 students enrolled in Iran Digital continued their education. This demonstrated that even when the country is confronted with crises and difficult circumstances, we can — and must — continue investing in the future. Educating the next generation is not merely a program for normal times; it is part of the country’s resilience and its long-term vision for the future.

Accordingly, the fact that the number of participants in the national Iran Digital initiative has surpassed four million students is by no means the end of the program. Rather, this milestone increases our responsibility to continue along this path. We must constantly improve the quality of education, link it to the country’s real needs and labor market, and create greater opportunities to identify and nurture the talents of the new generation.

If Iran is to secure the position it deserves in the digital economy, we must start investing today in the generation that will build the future of this economy.

Therefore, I reiterate that technology is not merely a tool; it is an opportunity to empower people and promote equity. From this perspective, restricting technology is not management; it is the squandering of opportunities. Our responsibility is to turn this opportunity for Iran’s children into knowledge, skills, creativity and the ability to build their future.”