Uncovering Synergistic Educational Injustices of COVID-19 and AI

Grounded in critical realism and using narrative inquiry, this article explores this article explores the long - term consequences of the COVID - 19 pandemic and the rapid proliferation of artificial intelligence within higher education. Through the analysis of student narratives collected in Iranian university settings, the study reveals that learning experiences during and after the pandemic, coupled with unprepared exposure to AI tools, have generated hidden yet impactful layers of educational inequality and cognitive disorientation. These twin phenomena have not only disrupted traditio nal structures of learning but also carry the potential to deepen existing epistemic and social disparities. The article argues that the university can only fulfill its mission if it develops the epistemic tools necessary to trace layered realities and eng age seriously with the often - silenced narratives embedded in students' lived experiences. Such an approach requires a fundamental rethinking in regard to university's role in a rapidly changing educational and technological landscape.