AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): The ceremony commemorating Student Day and the National Day of Struggle against Global Arrogance was held with the efforts of the cultural consultation of the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Sierra Leone and in the presence of the Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran at the Henry Fergusson Secondary School in Freetown. In this program, while explaining the concepts of independence-seeking, justice-seeking, and confronting domination, emphasis was placed on the necessity of supporting children and students who are victims of war, honoring the right to education, and expanding scientific and cultural cooperation between Iran and Sierra Leone.
According to a report by the cultural consultation of the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Sierra Leone, this ceremony was held on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, with the presence of Javad Dehqan Haqiqi Lotfabadi, the Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Sierra Leone, Dr. Abedin Siahat Esfandiari, the cultural counselor of the embassy, the school's administrators and teachers, and a group of students.
In this program, the Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran, referring to the importance of education in the progress of nations, considered students the main assets of countries' future and stated, "The future of any country is built in classrooms and through the effort, awareness, and responsibility of its young generation. Sierra Leone enjoys valuable capacities and resources, and benefiting from these capacities on the path of development depends, more than anything else, on the knowledge, expertise, self-confidence, and will of the country's youth."
Emphasizing the position of teachers in educating the future generation, he noted that education is not limited to acquiring knowledge and succeeding in exams; rather, cultivating personality, ethics, respect, empathy, and responsibility are also among the fundamental missions of the educational system. Iran's ambassador also invited students to respect their teachers, strive continuously to acquire knowledge, and participate actively in building their country's future.
Student Day; a symbol of standing against domination
The Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran, in another part of his remarks, while explaining the concept of the National Day of Struggle against Global Arrogance, considered this occasion a reminder of nations' right to independence, self-determination, and enjoyment of dignity and justice and emphasized that no power should impose its will on other nations by relying on its political, economic, or military capability.
He stated that awareness, knowledge, and self-confidence are among the most important tools of nations for preserving independence and confronting dependence and domination-seeking, and schools and educational centers play a determining role in nurturing aware and responsible generations.
Dehqan Haqiqi Lotfabadi also, referring to the humanistic thought of Saadi Shirazi and the famous theme of his poem about the interconnectedness of the members of the human body, emphasized the necessity of empathy and a sense of shared responsibility among humans toward each other's suffering and harm and said that human dignity, regardless of nationality, language, and religion, is a shared right for all humans.
Remembering the martyrdom of 168 students of Minab and children who are victims of war
One of the important axes of this ceremony was explaining the human dimensions of war and the necessity of protecting children and educational centers. Iran's ambassador, referring to the attack on the Shajareh Tayyebeh elementary school in the city of Minab on February 28, 2026, honored the memory of the 168 students who lost their lives at this school and noted that these children had gone to school to learn and build their future; but as a result of violence and war, they were deprived of the right to life and education.
He also referred to the children who were victims of the Lamerd incident, who lost their lives while present at a sports complex and engaging in sports activity, and added, "Children anywhere in the world, regardless of citizenship and place of residence, have an equal right to life, security, education, and a bright future. No difference or dispute can justify harming children and targeting their educational environments and lives."
Iran's ambassador, emphasizing that school must be a place for knowledge, hope, and the flourishing of talents, called for greater attention by the international community to protecting schools, students, and civilian centers in wartime conditions.
The initiative of Iran's cultural consultation; a student competition with a message of peace
Continuing this program, on the initiative of the cultural consultation of the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Sierra Leone, a student competition titled "The Martyred Students of Minab; Children Who Are Victims of War and Messengers of Peace" was announced.
This competition is designed with the aim of familiarizing Sierra Leone's young generation with the suffering of children who are victims of war and encouraging them to reflect on peace, children's rights, human dignity, and the shared responsibility of nations.
According to the announcement, students can present their works in the form of notes, paintings and artworks, short speeches, or two-to-three-minute videos.
This cultural initiative seeks to transform students from mere audiences of a ceremony into active participants in expressing the message of peace and empathy; in such a way that they can speak about the right to life and education of children and the necessity of confronting violence through the language of art, writing, and their own thought.
Examining the grounds for educational and scientific cooperation between Iran and Sierra Leone
In another part of this visit, the officials of Henry Fergusson School explained the needs and development plans of this educational center. Mohamed Abudu Juak, the school's principal, referring to the necessity of upgrading science and technology education facilities, presented the school's scientific infrastructure development plan.
The cultural consultation announced its readiness to examine the grounds for cooperation. Holding educational workshops for students, teacher empowerment courses, cooperation in producing educational and video content, and examining cooperation capacities in the field of science and technology were among the axes discussed.
Dr. Abedin Siahat Esfandiari, the cultural counselor of the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Sierra Leone, emphasizing the necessity of continuing communication with educational centers and turning cultural visits into practical programs, emphasized the cultural consultation's readiness to follow up on the grounds for cooperation. He considered interaction with schools, teachers, and the young generation as one of the effective paths for developing cultural and scientific relations between the two countries.
Cultural diplomacy in the service of human and educational bonds
Holding this program at Henry Fergusson School is an example of the approach of the cultural consultation of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Sierra Leone to link Iran's national and cultural occasions with common human issues and the real needs of the host society.
This program, in addition to introducing Student Day and explaining the concept of struggle against global arrogance, provided an opportunity to raise the issue of children who are victims of war in an international educational environment and, by announcing the student competition, created the ground for the direct participation of Sierra Leone's young generation in promoting the culture of peace.
Also, the conversation about the school's educational needs and the announcement of readiness to examine the grounds for cooperation opened a new horizon for the development of scientific and cultural communication between the two countries.
The cultural consultation of the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Sierra Leone, by implementing this program and following up on educational and cultural initiatives, seeks to turn the capacity of the country's schools and scientific centers into a platform for strengthening mutual understanding, expanding educational cooperation, and consolidating friendly bonds between the two nations.
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