Shocking Findings: Only 3 Out of 6,000 Tehran Schools Comply with Fire Safety Standards!

A recent report has exposed a dire situation regarding safety in Tehran’s educational institutions, revealing that nearly all of them lack essential safety certifications. This alarming finding highlights a significant crisis of neglect and deteriorating infrastructure that poses a serious risk to the safety of students throughout Iran.

A senior official from the Tehran Fire Department disclosed a shocking statistic: out of over 6,000 schools and educational facilities in the capital, only three have been granted official fire safety certification. This stark reality underscores a critical safety crisis within Iran’s education system, jeopardizing the lives of more than a million students in Tehran alone.

According to Kamran Abdoli, the Deputy for Prevention and Fire Protection at the Tehran Fire Department, the city is home to 6,420 educational institutions, which comprise:

• 1,504 kindergartens and preschools
• 2,050 primary schools
• 2,383 secondary and vocational schools
• 88 special-needs institutions

Of these, 2,913 are private schools, while 3,129 are public. Despite repeated inspections, Abdoli acknowledged that “compliance with safety recommendations and the removal of hazardous conditions remain unacceptable.” The primary risks identified include:

• Faulty electrical systems
• Outdated heating appliances
• Open flames
• Worn-out thermal equipment

Moreover, incidents such as explosions in boiler rooms, chemical accidents in laboratories, falls, and structural collapses have become recurring hazards. Abdoli emphasized that installing fire alarm systems, especially in multi-story buildings, is crucial for reducing casualties, yet many schools still lack these vital safety measures.

Safety Standards in Free Fall

The recent data indicates a dramatic decline in safety standards compared to the previous year. In September 2024, the head of the Tehran Fire Department claimed that about 50% of schools were in acceptable safety condition. However, that figure has now plummeted to less than one-tenth of one percent.

At that time, Fire Chief Ghodratollah Mohammadi warned that “school safety conditions are not good,” noting that not a single school had completed the full safety certification process. Despite ongoing warnings, there has been minimal action from educational or municipal authorities. Tehran’s student population of over 1.13 million exceeds that of several provinces, yet the safety of these children remains critically overlooked.

Many public schools operate in dilapidated buildings that have received little maintenance or reconstruction over the years. Inspectors frequently report issues such as:

• Weak electrical networks
• Inadequate ventilation
• Outdated heating systems
• Unsafe storage areas

Fire Department data indicates that half of all fires in educational facilities are attributed to electrical or gas failures, while 79% of other reported incidents stem from structural decay. The most common accidents include gas leaks, building collapses, water damage, and falling debris, with nearly half of all incidents occurring in elementary schools, affecting the youngest and most vulnerable students.

Chronic Neglect and Institutional Failure

In 2022, authorities identified several districts, including 13, 15, 20, and 4, as having the highest levels of school safety violations. Out of 930 schools invited to initiate safety compliance procedures, only 11 responded, highlighting severe managerial negligence and weak oversight from the Education Ministry.

Analysis of official data suggests that the crisis continues largely due to the absence of a unified policy requiring schools to obtain safety certification. Furthermore, no legal actions have been taken against noncompliant administrators. This institutional gap has left thousands of schools operating under hazardous conditions, setting the stage for potential tragedies reminiscent of past disasters.

The issue of aging school buildings has long plagued Tehran’s educational 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, inadequate budget allocations and poor inter-agency coordination have left numerous projects stalled.

Private Schools: High Fees, Low Safety

The safety crisis is not limited 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 high tuition fees, numerous private schools operate in repurposed residential buildings, which were never designed to accommodate hundreds of students and lack fundamental safety features, such as:

• Emergency exits
• Reinforced structures

Confusion among Tehran’s municipal and educational authorities has exacerbated the issue. 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, including:

• Defective electrical wiring
• Blocked escape routes
• Absence of emergency exits
• Unapproved installations

While the Tehran City Council mandates that municipal funds prioritize school safety upgrades, enforcement has been minimal. Many schools are still awaiting 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.” Such contradictory statements reflect a complete lack of coordination among oversight bodies and highlight the absence of a consistent safety benchmark.

A History of Tragedies Ignored

Iran’s public memory remains marred by recurrent school disasters. One of the deadliest incidents occurred in 2012 in the village of Shinabad (Piranshahr), where a classroom fire caused by a faulty oil heater injured 29 girls, resulting in the tragic deaths of two. Investigations revealed that fuel leakage, blocked emergency exits, and barred windows had trapped students inside.

Despite official promises to eliminate oil heaters from all schools, a 2022 report confirmed that 14,000 such heaters remain operational nationwide. Another incident in 2017 involved the collapse of the Azadi School’s roof in eastern Tehran. Although there were no fatalities, inspectors found that the 15-year-old building suffered from poor design and substandard construction materials, indicating 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. These events, coupled with the unresolved wave of mass poisonings affecting schoolgirls in various Iranian cities, illustrate a grim pattern of official neglect and a decline in public trust.

Beyond Fire Hazards: A Broader Safety Crisis

The crisis transcends physical infrastructure failures. Reports of student fatalities near school zones, falls into open construction pits, and incidents of physical abuse and harassment reveal a broader breakdown of safety—both environmental and psychological—within Iran’s educational system.

Experts caution that unless strict safety regulations are enforced and negligent institutions held accountable, Tehran could face yet another preventable tragedy at any moment. The stark revelation that only three schools in Tehran comply with basic safety standards is not merely a bureaucratic failure; it reflects systemic neglect in Iran’s education governance, where children’s lives are at daily risk due to a lack of political will, transparency, and accountability.