Iran’s private sector says it has completed construction of 78 schools across the country in the last four years as part of a nation-wide school-building campaign.
Pedram Soltani, Vice President of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (ICCIMA), who launched “Iran-e Man” campaign (My Iran, in Persian) in 2014 says the project is set to build 100 schools in rural and underdeveloped areas.
“We’ve been able to build schools based on sustainable development principles that also focus on training individuals and not only expanding infrastructure,” said Soltani at a meeting of entrepreneurs, companies and individuals who have joined the campaign.
“78 schools have been completed, out of which 63 are already being used,” added the ICCIMA VP at the organisation's headquarters and emphasied that the private sector is set to finish the rest of schools by the end of April 2019.
Soltani highlighted the fact that many of the schools built under this campaign are located in the underdeveloped areas of the country.
Dozens of schools were heavily destroyed in a major 7.3 magnitude earthquake that shook Iran’s western Kermanshah province on the border with Iraq in November 2017. "Iran Chamber of Commerce agreed to rebuild schools in affected areas in connection with other people and institutions active in renovating old schools," Soltani said.
More than 120 private sector businessmen and charity workers have joined the “Iran-e Man” campaign that’s been trying to breathe new air into Iran’s ageing educational infrastructure. The movement has also rallied several big enterprises behind itself, such as the Middle East Bank, calling on them to play a bigger part in their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
A number of Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO)s like Mehr-e Giti Institute are also among the campaign’s members.