Nature Schools Increase

The number of nature schools has surpassed 40 in the country, said Fariba Rezaei, head of the Education and Public Participation Office at the Department of Environment. “There are three nature schools in Tehran and its districts including Varamin, Fasham and Damavand,” she said at a recent specialized session on environment in Tehran. The DOE plans to increase such schools to 1,000 over a five-year period, ISNA reported. Stressing the importance of connecting children with nature, she said such schools are the only way of attuning children to the environment, and encouraging them to play outdoors instead of computer games behind monitors. In 2013, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the DoE and Education Ministry by which they were committed to establish nature schools in the country. At the time, the DoE developed the educational package to be used in schools for children and adolescents in the age groups 3 to 18.