Father of Iran's nomadic schools dies

Veteran Iranian writer, researcher and a pioneer of providing education for nomadic communities, Mohammad Bahmanbeigi has passed away at the age of 90.

Bahmanbeigi died of pneumonia on May 1, 2010, after dedicating his life to educating nomads, especially the nomadic tribes of Fars Province.

Born in 1920 in the Qashqai tribe, Bahmanbeigi moved to Tehran after his father and leader of the tribe was exiled following the riots of the southern tribes.

Bahmanbeigi studied law at Tehran University, where he also learned English, German, and French.

Upon completing his studies, he decided to create a mobile educational system to help nomad children, especially girls, to continue their education despite seasonal migrations.

Iran's first nomadic school was founded in Fars Province in 1951, educating the Qashqai tribesmen, ISNA reported.

Bahmanbeigi wrote his first book The Mores of Fars Nomads when he was 23, sharing his educational experiences and memories with his readers.

He was honored by the Iranian Society of Cultural Works and Luminaries in November and Iranian filmmaker Kamran Heidari made a biopic of his life and works in 2003, titled The White Tents.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=125316§ionid=351020105.