Minister of Education Orders Investigation into School Fire in Zahedan

Following a fire at a primary school in Zahedan that resulted in the death of two students, the Minister of Education has called for an investigation into the incident within three days. The Zahedan prosecutor announced that orders have been issued for the arrest of the school's principal and the teacher of the class involved. After the incident, the director of the Education Department of Zone 2 in Zahedan resigned from his position. The classroom used an oil lamp, and according to IRNA news agency, 'the strap of one student's bag got caught' causing the lamp to topple and ignite a fire. According to Fars news agency, Minister Mohammad Bat'haei instructed his special advisor, Mohammad Khorram, to prepare a report on the incident within three days while in Zahedan. He also directed security, inspection, and administrative violation committees to investigate the matter 'specifically and out of turn.' Meanwhile, Mojtaba Zini Vand, the Deputy Minister of Education, arrived in Zahedan as the minister's representative to address the issue. Ali Mohammadi Rad, the Zahedan prosecutor, stated that investigations have confirmed the negligence of the principal and the educational instructor, leading to their arrest orders. The private girls' primary and preschool 'Osveh Hasaneh' in Zahedan caught fire on the morning of Tuesday, December 27, resulting in two of the four students who suffered over 90% burns dying. The incident occurred in a first-grade classroom. IRNA reported that 'a brief overview of this school revealed the poor condition of its educational environment, as the only first-grade classroom consisted of a 3x4 meter room that also housed the principal's office, separated only by a thin wooden panel.' Reports indicate that the fire started in the first-grade classroom. According to IRNA, students and the teacher 'had to use a narrow corridor to enter this room, and when one of the officials attempted to enter through this corridor, they could not pass, and the school staff said the class teacher was much thinner than you.' The news agency reported that an 'non-standard oil lamp (known as Atra)' was used in this room to warm the students. According to the report, during recess, one of the students returned to the classroom to retrieve her bag, but the strap of her bag got caught on the lamp, causing it to fall and ignite a fire, trapping the four remaining children in the classroom. The funeral for the two deceased students, Mona Khosrow Parast and Saba Arabi, will be held on Wednesday, and a public mourning has been declared in Zahedan for that day. Following the incident, Malek Mohammad Sanjarani, the director of the Education Department of Zone 2 in Zahedan, resigned from his position. He wrote to the provincial education director: 'Regardless of who is responsible for this incident, I, as the main custodian of education in this area, do not intend to justify anything and ... as a sign of social responsibility and sympathy, I submit my resignation.' Previously, several students in Iranian schools have been victims of fire due to the use of oil lamps. One of the most well-known incidents of this kind in Iran was the fire at the primary school in the village of Shinabad Piranshahr in West Azerbaijan province. In December 2012, 29 girl students from the village of Shinabad Piranshahr suffered burns due to the ignition of an oil heater, two of whom died from their injuries. Six years after the incident, 12 girl students from this school are still seeking treatment and funding for it.