Lessons on environment protection will soon enter the school curriculum, the head of Education Office at the Department of Environment said.

Speaking to ISNA, Kioumars Kalantari also said educational material on environment conservation includes three simple teaching packages for pre-school, for first to 10th grade and a separate course book for 11th grade.

“The content has been designed in collaboration with DOE's experts and is aimed at making students consider one of the troubles facing Iran’s environment at the end of each chapter,” he said.

The purpose of the plan is to familiarize the society with environmental issues and ways of protecting it from the very first stage of education. It can also help educators and students develop a deeper understanding of ecological issues and realize the importance of environmental conservation.

Kalantari noted that injudicious behavior toward nature is mostly rooted in ignorance.

“The only remedy is to raise public awareness about the critical conditions of the country's natural environment and foster an eco-friendly culture from the early stages of life,” he said.

The worrying status of environment in literally every corner of Iran is the result of a combination of natural phenomena and human misconduct.

The annual destruction of 50,000 hectares of northern forests, desiccation of Lake Urmia in the northwest, dust storms in the south and southwest, dried up wetlands of Hamoun in the southeast and long periods of drought in the northeast are problems that receive constant media coverage.

The alarming ecological conditions have impelled the DOE authorities to consider raising an environment-friendly generation.

Schemes to add environmental content to school curriculum and launch 60 nature schools are among measures aimed at meeting this goal.

Nature schools seek to encourage and inspire children of different ages through positive outdoor experiences, connect deeply with nature through practical participation and explore the environment as co-learners.