Gather and Direct Your School!

Diaries of Abd-ol-ali Mohammadi Pasand, The Principal of Imam Khomeini School of Hamedan in the Post-Revolutionary Period

Translated by: Atiyeh As'ad

2015-9-13

Note: Imam Khomeini School of Hamadan is one of the schools that is famous and has a great capacity for its about 100 Martyrs students and cultural artistic activities. In an interview with Mr. Sadeghian, a teacher at this school he mentioned: “Sometimes when we wanted to have special programs for Fajr Decade we had seven choirs and eleven theater groups. I was wondering how I could manage the programs at Fajr Decade so that every student could play once in front of the students due to extra workload.”

Hearing about widespread extra educational activities of the school is also strongly recommended. The following text is a discussion meeting with the first revolutionary principal of the school, Mr. Abd-ol-ali Mohammadi Pasand.

Mohammad Sadegh Mansour: "We are your fellow brothers."

Imam School was a mixture of all political groups including members of   Paykar, minority and majority Devotee Guerrillas, Ommat Party, Meysam Group, MKO, and Hezbollah (Party of God). Imam High School's hall was shared between these groups. So if each one wanted to hold a meeting they would come to Imam High School from various regions and cities and chant slogans against Islamic Republic of Iran. The former director of the school would say: “It is pluralism. It is the period of freedom.” I went there in this condition. I saw there like a jewelry shop that had valuable doors but all were fallen somewhere else. If we could just join them together and like a Rosary make a Guru bead for them it would turn to an atmosphere that you cannot find anywhere in Iran.

As I had the experience of working at University of Tehran and Avicenna High School, I knew we should have a reasonable and consistent treatment with their ideology approach otherwise it could turn out to be an armed clash and fighting. So, on the first day we talked with them and told them we are your fellow brothers. We hope that everybody helps but on one condition and that is: this Revolution is an Islamic one and our leader is Imam Khomeini. As long as I'm alive, I will not let any movement but Islamic Movement. Any other thought other than Islam is forbidden in this School. If anyone has any protests, any reasonable talk, the loud speaker of the School is available every morning.

Gather and direct your school.

When I first came there, I realized that the dominant atmosphere would not let creating an Islamic Association. In a way that the Islamic forces have been positioned in a situation that they could do nothing but eating their hearts out. There I gathered all the notifications of the groups and said: “Here, based on the constitution, only the Islamic Association of Students can be active. None of the groups could enter the High School and hold meetings here. I won't let you deceive any of the students. I won't let you use the students as your success ladder.” I also gathered the Association members together and told them: “Here I am the smallest member of the association and after me, my deputy is the smallest. You are the head of the school; in the meanwhile my assistant and I are at your service. So gather together and do your best for running the school. I do even pay all the cost by my own and solve the financial problems of the school through the Association and Basij.”

As we were on the queue I told them you (1200 people) are all the Association's children and I'm at your service. All the children came into the school office. We furnished a 100 people classroom and said: “All the facilities are provided for you as you wish.” Day by day the number of the members grew. The Association was the first in the province. It caused for all the problems to be solved. We just needed to desire.

The Opponents Were Martyred.

In Imam High School all the children that were against the Islamic Association came to the point that they went to the frontlines and were martyred. I registered one of the children who was fired as a corrupted and evil student in Imam High School. He's a veteran now. In another word friendly, reformative treatment implied the point to the children that we desire for nothing but their prosperity and promising future. This forced the other children to come to the school for registration. We had difficulty in registration.

How Could You Gather All These Carpets?

Once we wanted to hold a ceremony. We announced that we needed carpets for the High School. All the way from the street to the gathering hall of that big High School was covered with carpets. A parliament member who had come from Tehran said: “How could you gather all these carpets.” We told him: “Here is Imam High School and belongs to the children and these revolutionary children have brought all the carpets.”

We have a martyr but no memorial stand for him.

One day the director of Foundation of Martyrs called me and said: “Friday Prayers’ Imam has complained me that we don't have any memorial stands for our martyrs. You have gathered all the stands for Imam High School. We have a martyr at Silo neighborhood and don't have a stand for him.” I replied him: “It's because of your inefficiency. I have built these stands by my own money and by the help of Islamic Association members at school.”

The Pants That Saved Me.

Mr. Zangeneh our biology teacher went Kurdistan to search for a suitable beekeeping region. He had a worn car. His car broke down on the road. He described as follow: “I was alone and four guys came with Kurish suits toward me. They had hidden their faces with scarf. I told myself this is the end of my life. I told them to push the car this way and they pushed that way. We reached to a green plain with bright lights. There was an equipped building there. They took me inside and serviced us. A guy came in and said: “Didn't you recognize me?” Then I felt strength in my feet. I got happy that he called me by my name. He told me: “I was a student at Imam School and this made me to get to this point.” Then he got a pair of pants and said: “The pants were the reason of my success and prosperity. I was a member of MKO. They invited me to Tehran in the summer and worked on me a lot. They told me: “The School principal is very sensitive towards pants. You should wear tight pants and go to high school.” I wore tight pants and went to the school. I had a math exam that day. The principal was standing at the front door. He put his hand on my shoulder and said: “Wait, I have a word with you.” He told me to count till ten and then sit and stand. A soon as I sat down my pants tore up from top to the bottom. He took off his pants. He was in slack pants and gave his pants to me. That day I thought to myself: “This man is so compassionate to me.” There, I left MKO and received my PhD in agriculture and came here. About a hundred engineers work under my supervision. I have mentioned in my will that they put those pants in my grave.” So they got many presents for Mr. Zangeneh and fixed his car.”

If the principal of a school be a sympathetic man, God may help him and send the children for his assistance. So on this way, when we announced for volunteers for the frontlines in the school, everybody was volunteer and nobody would remain at school. Even one day I came to school and realized none of the Association and Basiji children were at the school. I told Mr. Shoja'ee-Mehr, Dr. Parvin's deputy to bring them back from garrison. If you came to the school you could find a calm, loving, lively, active, studious atmosphere. Our library was the most active place in the school. Everybody was so studious and there was no need for granting extra grades.

Once we announced that we intend to paint the school, the Association members rolled up their sleeves and painted that big school. One of the children was so young that he fell asleep above the ladder.

The Association members would identify poor children. We told them to bring their father, mother or friends to the school and introduce them to shopping stores we already coordinated with to sell them free clothes without making them feel embarrassed. No one except God was aware that the High School was doing such a deed.  

Their Feet Should Be Kissed.

One day one of the children (Martyr Hossein Khanian) had come from the frontlines. I got on his feet. One of the teachers complained that he's only a kid and you are the principal of the school. I replied: “He is oldest in the school. He has gone somewhere that you are never daring to go.” He told me: “I will go to the frontlines. You send me there in the summer.” I told him: “No need for you to go to the frontlines. Go to Dezful in the summer and teach them.” When he moved there, he came back in a month and half and said: “I want to stand at the door and kiss their feet. I was in a place that no sound of bullets and shooting could be heard but I was frightened. They are the one who break the lines of enemy.”  

Now, Our Kid is a Martyr.

When I went to the frontlines it was winter and there was a shortage of oil. I sent my wife to stay in her father's house. When I returned, she thanked me for sending five thousand Tomans and a barrel of oil. The more I thought, I found out I never sent them money or oil.

Anyway, I investigated and found out that in my absence Hamid Hashemi, one of the students, had taken two teachers to the bank and they acted as his sponsors and had got a five thousand Toman loan and he had taken it to my father-in-law's house. When you look at the kid you think that he's an ordinary person wandering between people. He was a kid that grew up as an orphan but he was concerned with the problems and pains of the people. When he got martyred, fifteen martyrs’ families came and said: “We now feel that that our own child is martyred, as he was in place of our martyred children.”

Abolhassan Banisadr's Stuntman

A mother brought his son to Imam High School. I realized that he looked like "Abolhassan Banisadr". I had seen Banisadr by flesh but this guy was young. His mother said: “They bother him so much in Tehran as they say he's Banisadr's stuntman. So I brought him to Hamedan. They told me the only place that he can be safe is Imam High School. So, I brought him here.” He came to our school and no one told him that he was Banisadr's stuntman and none of the students insulted him. Never!

Tea and Cigarettes for School janitor at the Frontlines

I was in Changuleh. Iraq was bombarding us cats and dogs. Iran had recently conquered there. Mr. Mirzaei, the school's janitor was with us. I saw him upset and asked for the reason. He replied: “I am a smoker and used to drinking tea and here I can find no tea and cigarettes.” There was a guy named Abolfazl who would serve water there. I told him: “if you see our High School's children tell them about Mr. Mirzaei's problem.”

As we were under the shooting, I realized that Mr. Eskandari who is a clergyman now with Dr. Parvin's son and two other guys were serving tea for the janitor and told: “We won't let Mr. Mirzaei be without tea and cigarettes as long as we are here at the frontlines.”

About the Prodigies of High School

Nader Fathi one of the prodigies of the school had gone to the frontlines. When he was shot by a quiver, Mr. Saleh, the Governor of Hamedan took him to the Governorship. Nader stayed there for a couple of days and then left for the frontlines. He came back to high school near exam time and said: “Please hold one session of Physics lesson for me. I want to take an exam.” I requested Mr. Tork to teach him physics to him. He told me: “I have been teaching physics for the students for six months and they have difficulty in understanding then how could he learn in three or four sessions.” Anyway he taught him for four sessions. One day Mr. Tork came to me and said: “I have a suggestion. Don't let him go to the frontlines. I will go for him. He's a genius. He got the point in my first try of teaching.” Nader and his brother went to the frontlines and both were martyred.

I Made him Come Back from the Frontlines Twice but ....

Abbasi Karam was a freshman. Almost all the teacher would complain about him that he didn't let the teachers teach. One day I attended the class. I saw that he had sat in the back rows. He was the tallest in the class. I asked a question. He answered the question with a complete definition. I talked with him in my office. I asked him: “What's wrong with you? Why do you bother your teachers?” He replied: “Sir, they don't know how to teach and teach us in a wrong way. At nights I study the lessons and could teach the students better than them.” Such a genius was from a poor family. He went to the frontlines twice and I got him back. I told him: “I sent another person for you. I will go to the frontlines for you but you don't go please...” He went to the frontlines and got martyred.

Do not stop my son!

It was the time of dispatching the warriors to the frontlines. I went to persuade one of the students who was intended to go to frontlines come back home. His father was a retired sergeant. He had enrolled for going to the frontlines. I made him get off the bus. His father said: “No, let him go. Don't stop my son. Let him go anywhere he desires.” I told him: “So, let me have a remembrance picture.” He said: “I have put it at the office on the table.” He didn't know he won't come back. He was a calm and studious student. I said these children should stay because they are the future of the country but they went.

He was martyred before the announcement of university entrance exam results.

Mahdi Raygan's mother had come to the school. I came to the school and found him wandering in the hallway. I asked her: “What's wrong with you?” She replied: “Mahdi has called from the frontlines. I got him an entrance exam enrollment form. Please fill the fields of study for him in this form.” I told Mr. Jafar, the school's janitor, to call Mr. Sadeghi so we could select his majors of study together with Mr. Sadeghi. His mother got so happy for selecting his fields of study. But unfortunately before the announcement of university entrance exam results he was martyred.