A shocking report reveals that nearly all of Tehran’s educational institutions lack basic safety certification, exposing a nationwide crisis of neglect and structural decay.
A senior Tehran Fire Department official has revealed a shocking statistic: out of more than 6,000 schools and educational centers across the capital, only three have received official fire safety certification. The revelation underscores a severe safety crisis within Iran’s education system — one that endangers the lives of more than a million students in Tehran alone.
According to Kamran Abdoli, Deputy for Prevention and Fire Protection at the Tehran Fire Department, the city has a total of 6,420 educational facilities. These include 1,504 kindergartens and preschools, 2,050 primary schools, 2,383 secondary and vocational schools, and 88 special-needs institutions. Of these, 2,913 are private and 3,129 are public.
Despite repeated inspections, Abdoli admitted that “compliance with safety recommendations and the removal of hazardous conditions remain unacceptable.” The main risks identified include faulty electrical systems, outdated heating appliances, open flames, and worn-out thermal equipment. Additional reports cite explosions in boiler rooms, laboratory chemical accidents, falls, and collapses as recurring hazards. Abdoli stressed that installing fire alarm systems — especially in multi-story buildings — is one of the most effective measures to reduce casualties, yet many schools still lack them.
Safety Standards in Free Fall
The new data represents a dramatic deterioration from last year. In September 2024, the head of the Tehran Fire Department claimed that about 50% of schools were in acceptable safety condition. That figure has now plunged to less than one-tenth of one percent.
At that time, Fire Chief Ghodratollah Mohammadi warned, “School safety conditions are not good,” noting that not a single school had completed the full safety certification process.
Despite continuous warnings, there has been no significant action from education or municipal authorities. Tehran’s student population — over 1.13 million — exceeds that of several entire provinces, yet the safety of these children remains gravely neglected.
Most public schools operate in dilapidated buildings that have seen little maintenance or reconstruction in decades. Inspectors repeatedly cite weak electrical networks, inadequate ventilation, outdated heating systems, and unsafe storage areas as recurring issues.
Fire Department operational data show that half of all fires in educational facilities originate from electrical or gas failures, while 79% of other reported incidents result from structural decay. Common accidents include gas leaks, well collapses, water damage, and falling debris. Alarmingly, nearly half of all incidents occur in elementary schools — the youngest and most vulnerable student group.
Chronic Neglect and Institutional Failure
In 2022, authorities identified districts 13, 15, 20, and 4 as having the highest levels of school safety violations. Of the 930 schools invited to begin safety compliance procedures, only 11 responded, revealing both managerial negligence and the Education Ministry’s weak oversight.
Analyses of official data suggest the crisis persists largely because no unified policy exists to require schools to obtain safety certification, and no legal action is taken against noncompliant administrators. This institutional vacuum has left thousands of schools operating under dangerous conditions — setting the stage for potential tragedies reminiscent of past disasters.
The problem of aging school buildings has long plagued Tehran’s education infrastructure. Majid Parsa, the city’s Education Department director, acknowledged earlier this year:
“Unlike many provinces, Tehran’s schools are exceptionally old. That’s one of our main challenges.”
He added that while some facilities could be upgraded with limited local funding, many buildings are beyond regional capacity and require direct intervention from the national School Renovation Organization. However, budget allocations and inter-agency coordination remain grossly insufficient, leaving many projects stalled.
Private Schools: High Fees, Low Safety
The safety crisis is not confined to public schools. Although 79% of Tehran’s students are enrolled in private institutions, many of these schools also fail to meet safety standards. Despite their high tuition fees, numerous private schools operate in repurposed residential buildings, never designed to accommodate hundreds of students and lacking basic safety features such as emergency exits or reinforced structures.
Disagreements among Tehran’s municipal and educational authorities have worsened the confusion. In September 2025, the head of the City Council’s Safety Committee reported that inspections of 2,400 public schools uncovered over 400,000 safety violations, ranging from defective electrical wiring and blocked escape routes to the absence of emergency exits and unapproved installations.
Although the Tehran City Council mandates that municipal funds prioritize school safety upgrades, enforcement has been minimal. Many schools are still waiting for inspection, and neither the municipality nor the Education Ministry has provided the necessary follow-up.
Adding to the confusion, the committee’s former chair Mehdi Babaei claimed last year that “no school in Tehran is listed as a high-risk building.” The contradictory statements reflect a complete lack of coordination among oversight bodies — and the absence of a consistent safety benchmark.
A History of Tragedies Ignored
Iran’s public memory remains scarred by repeated school disasters. One of the deadliest occurred in 2012 in the village of Shinabad (Piranshahr), where a classroom fire caused by a faulty oil heater injured 29 girls, two of whom died. Investigations by the Fire Department found that fuel leakage, blocked emergency exits, and barred windows had trapped the students inside.
Although officials promised to remove oil heaters from all schools, a 2022 report confirmed that 14,000 such heaters remain in operation nationwide.
Another incident in 2017 saw the collapse of the Azadi School’s roof in eastern Tehran. While no one was killed, inspectors discovered that the 15-year-old building had suffered from poor design and substandard construction materials — proof that even newer schools are unsafe.
Other cases include classroom fires in Zahedan, a boarding school blaze in Chabahar, and a laboratory explosion in Gilan Province, as well as the unresolved wave of mass poisonings of schoolgirls in several Iranian cities. Together, they form a grim pattern of official neglect and eroded public trust.
Beyond Fire Hazards: A Broader Safety Crisis
The crisis extends beyond physical infrastructure. Reports of student fatalities near school zones, falls into open construction pits, and incidents of physical abuse and harassment reflect a wider breakdown of safety — both environmental and psychological — within Iran’s educational system.
Experts warn that unless the regime enforces strict safety regulations and holds negligent institutions accountable, Tehran could face another preventable tragedy at any moment.
In essence, the revelation that only three schools in Tehran meet basic safety standards is not just a bureaucratic failure — it is a stark indictment of systemic neglect in Iran’s education governance, where children’s lives are placed at daily risk in the absence of political will, transparency, and responsibility.
