TEHRAN – According to the ministry of education, the national program for energy management has been implemented in 120,000 schools so far.

The program is based on a joint memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed by the ministries of education, energy, and labor, as well as the Department of Environment (DOE).

Following the success of the pilot program in 1500 schools, the program has targeted 120,000 schools nationwide, IRNA reported.

The program prepares the next generation for improving water and energy consumption management, and protecting national resources toward the country’s sustainable development goals, aligning with the year’s slogan ‘Investment in Production’.

The main objectives of the program are to train well-informed, responsible, and active generations in the energy sector, develop a culture, improve consumption patterns, and achieve a tangible and measurable reduction in water and energy usage in schools, families, and the student community.

Recognizing the ways through which energy and water are wasted, the students are supposed to develop solutions to address the problems. Following the implementation of the program, a six-percent reduction in water and energy consumption is expected at homes and schools.

The 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.

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.