TEHRAN – The Department of Environment (DOE) and the Education Ministry have discussed the possibility of developing a national education curriculum to promote environmental responsibility and awareness among children.

Referring to the inefficiency of short-term and incoherent teaching, Mohammad Medadi, an official with the DOE, said that achieving sustainable development and boosting the country’s resilience are not possible without institutionalizing an environmentally friendly attitude and lifestyle in society.  So, educational approaches need to be reviewed, he added.

Environmental protection education should be taught from preschool to high school. In addition to scientific training, it should focus on ethical aspects based on cultural, religious, and social teachings.

The initiative also aims to train and empower parents and teachers, the official further noted.

Promoting environmental protection among children

In October 2025, the DOE and the Institute for Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults (IIDCYA) signed a memorandum of understanding to promote environmental protection among children and young adults.

The MOU was inked by Hadi Kiadaliri, the deputy head of the DOE for education and public participation affairs, and Hamed Alamati, the IIDCYA director, at the place of IIDCYA in Tehran.

The signing ceremony was concurrent with the second day of National Children’s Week, which was observed nationwide from October 7 to 13, with the theme ‘children, joy of life’.

Since education plays a key role in boosting environmental protection, the DOE is implementing a national project that aims to train eco-friendly students, dubbed ‘environmental helpers’, in 20 percent of elementary schools across the country.

According to an official with the DOE, the project is being implemented in cooperation with healthcare providers since the beginning of the new academic year, on September 23, 2025.

It aims to identify students who are interested in environmental issues and encourage them to participate in a working group focusing on environmental-related subjects, IRNA quoted Medadi as saying.

These students will later train other students to raise their environmental awareness. The project is assumed to cover all schools in five years, the official added.

Moreover, informal education in the format of extracurricular activities is planned to be carried out. Consequently, the development of a national environment subject is placed on the agenda. It will contribute to creating a roadmap for formal environmental education according to which relevant content would be included in the curriculum, he further noted.

To instil eco-friendly behaviors, environmental education has to be introduced at an early age, when children are in elementary school or even preschool. However, there will be some challenges.

Education is an ongoing process; temporary or short-term courses would not induce long-standing behavioral changes. It requires time to see favorable results, Medadi said.

In May 2025, the DOE, in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, implemented an environmental project under the theme ‘education is the key to change’.

The main objectives of the project were to promote environmental literacy and promote a culture of environmental responsibility among students, Mehr news agency reported.

It also aimed to share environmental knowledge of the students utilizing the peer educators’ capacities; change students’ attitude and promote social responsibilities; make students familiar with indigenous, climatic, and local features; as well as boost students’ participation as environmental ambassadors (or eco-friendly individuals) in raising environmental awareness at school, home, and other places.

MT/MG