Razi High School
Encyclopedia
Le Lycee Razi translated in English as Razi High school. The name Lycee Razi is the official name of the school, and in French as it is known to the French community, and as a recognition of the French community contribution in this school. Le Lycee Razi is listed in French in this page as such for all the French students who attended this school, and for their ease in finding information about their school as it was. Le Lycee Razi, "Lycee" means high school, in fact, it is important to mention that this private school, had grades starting from preschool going all the way to high school.
Le Lycee Razi, was located on Pahlavi Street (now renamed Valiasr Street after the revolution of 79 ) in Tehran
, Iran
.
The school is named after Razi
a Persian physician, philosopher, and scholar.
The first Razi school was built during the 1950s in a different area of the city of Teheran, and at the beginning of the 60s a new campus was built north of Vanak Square in Teheran.
The Educators and Staff
From opening of the school to the end the principals of the school were French, directors under him were Iranians in the Iranian section and French in the French section, the teachers were mainly French, Belgian, Iranian, and other countries such as the old Yugoslavia for P.E.
Le Lycee Razi Culture
Le Lycee Razi, a private school, was created by the Mission Laique Francaise with the mission to share French culture around the world and create an international alliance between its students around the world and to sensitize students to international issues.
This mission has created many schools around the world, including in the United States two of them in Texas for example. The Mission Laique Francaise's curriculum is recognized officially by the French Government, and the high school final tests for the Baccalaureat diplomas were sent to France to be graded with the approval for the diploma coming from one of the French departments (believed to be Rhone-Alpes) and diplomas were issued in France (or the French Embassy -to be verified-).
Although the Lycee Razi stands for Razi High School, the system started with preschool going on to
kindergarten, then, elementary, middle and high school.
The Lycee Razi school was both for boys and girls mixed in classes which was different from other schools in Iran. This environment created and nurtured an understanding, and learning between both sexes as well as better communication, and cooperation skills, allowing for equality. The girls and young women were not covering their faces or hair.
Lycee Razi's Campus
The school's land was about 70 acres (283,280.2 m²). This included parking for school buses, cars, 4 tennis courts, a track field, one covered gymnasium, large swimming pool( length to be added) 5 park like yards, one theater for 150 people decorated with crimson color velvet on the walls and seats, with a giant gold sun smiling on the ceiling expanding its rays all the way to the end of the ceiling. The gardens and hills, were filled with roses of different colors, and other flowers, plants, sleeping willows, pine trees and grass.
The walls of the school were made of large limestone blocks. A "natural" clock was on the front yard of the school which showed time depending on the sun's location, an open amphitheater, and art work here and there. One of the yards had small water pools decorated with turquoise color tiles, with the water flowing down to the next pools below for a total of 8 pools on each side of the garden, recreating the sound of water falls surrounded by sleeping willows. The school had a restaurant were warm food and sandwiches were prepared daily. The Kindergarten area was created for the comfort of small children with low height stairs, small size toilettes and sinks. The school encouraged outside activities by organizing skiing trips, and ice skating at the local ice skating ring.
Studying at Le Lycee Razi
Preschool and kindergarten was the time to learn French, in order for the students to be able to follow the future classes taught in French at Le Lycee Razi.
Preschool started for children 3 years old, with French being the only language spoken by the teachers, who were French speaking nationals. These children would then go into kindergarten for 2 more years learning to speak and interact in French, and by the end of the second year in kindergarten they would be fluent in French. This allowed the young students to start their first grade by the age of 6 and follow the classes taught in French.
In the elementary school, all children followed the French Curriculum, but the Iranian students were required to learn Iranian, and Arabic.
At the middle school level the Lycee Razi curriculum and the original group of students was divided into two sections: One Iranian, and one French.
The Iranian section consisted of Iranian students and the French section consisted of French speaking nationals, as well as French speaking Iranians.
high school
Both sections system continued all the way to the high school diploma
The Sections
In the Iranian section, the classes were taught in Iranian by Iranian instructors, and followed the Iranian curriculum while other subjects were taught in French by French instructors. Students from the Iranian section obtained the Iranian high school diploma.
The French section in which all classes were taught in French by French instructors, and followed the French National Curriculum and at the end of their study, the students obtained their Baccalaureat which is the French high school diploma.
For those who had obtained their French Baccalaureat the entry in French Universities were facilitated.
The Iranian revolution and the end of Le Lycee Razi
During the revolution many French high school teachers refused to leave the country against the recommendation from the French Embassy. This decision on the part the teachers was made in order to help the students in their last year of high school to be allowed to finish their school year and obtain their Baccalaureat.
After the revolution in 1980 the Lycee Razi was taken by the new Iranian government without any compensation to the Mission Laique Francaise for building costs and other costs, thus ending the whole school system known as such and terminating the existence of the Lycee Razi. Since 1980 fraudulent claims have been made that the school which has kept its name is the same school, however, this is erroneous which has created many confusions. Although the school has kept the name "Razi", it has no connection at all with the old school system in any way since 1980. Since the revolution a new school has been created -using the same buildings- with an entirely different curriculum, and culture in accordance with the Islamic Republic ideologies, and it is a male only public school. The differences between the two schools are noticed amongst other things ( mixed sexes in the school as well as in the classrooms; all students being fluent in French regardless of their section, which had half of the school following the French curriculum, started from preschool all the way to high school,the amenities and activities of the school not being comparable to what they use to be),by the end of the official agreement between the two original parties, as well as a completely different culture and different goals, therefore offering an entirely different outcome for the students.
Many very young students still attending the school during the revolution found themselves without the support of the same school system.
Razi High School is notable for being a high school where affluent families sent their children, yet many arrangements were made to allow children of less fortunate families to attend. The beauty of the grounds, the reputation for excellent schooling of this establishment still lives around the world as an example. Many of the alumni from this school went on to building outstanding careers in many fields including medicine, physics, engineering, business, law and finance around the world.
Le Lycee Razi, was located on Pahlavi Street (now renamed Valiasr Street after the revolution of 79 ) in Tehran
Tehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
, Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
.
The school is named after Razi
Al-Razi
Muhammad ibn Zakariyā Rāzī , known as Rhazes or Rasis after medieval Latinists, was a Persian polymath,a prominent figure in Islamic Golden Age, physician, alchemist and chemist, philosopher, and scholar....
a Persian physician, philosopher, and scholar.
The first Razi school was built during the 1950s in a different area of the city of Teheran, and at the beginning of the 60s a new campus was built north of Vanak Square in Teheran.
The Educators and Staff
From opening of the school to the end the principals of the school were French, directors under him were Iranians in the Iranian section and French in the French section, the teachers were mainly French, Belgian, Iranian, and other countries such as the old Yugoslavia for P.E.
Le Lycee Razi Culture
Le Lycee Razi, a private school, was created by the Mission Laique Francaise with the mission to share French culture around the world and create an international alliance between its students around the world and to sensitize students to international issues.
This mission has created many schools around the world, including in the United States two of them in Texas for example. The Mission Laique Francaise's curriculum is recognized officially by the French Government, and the high school final tests for the Baccalaureat diplomas were sent to France to be graded with the approval for the diploma coming from one of the French departments (believed to be Rhone-Alpes) and diplomas were issued in France (or the French Embassy -to be verified-).
Although the Lycee Razi stands for Razi High School, the system started with preschool going on to
kindergarten, then, elementary, middle and high school.
The Lycee Razi school was both for boys and girls mixed in classes which was different from other schools in Iran. This environment created and nurtured an understanding, and learning between both sexes as well as better communication, and cooperation skills, allowing for equality. The girls and young women were not covering their faces or hair.
Lycee Razi's Campus
The school's land was about 70 acres (283,280.2 m²). This included parking for school buses, cars, 4 tennis courts, a track field, one covered gymnasium, large swimming pool( length to be added) 5 park like yards, one theater for 150 people decorated with crimson color velvet on the walls and seats, with a giant gold sun smiling on the ceiling expanding its rays all the way to the end of the ceiling. The gardens and hills, were filled with roses of different colors, and other flowers, plants, sleeping willows, pine trees and grass.
The walls of the school were made of large limestone blocks. A "natural" clock was on the front yard of the school which showed time depending on the sun's location, an open amphitheater, and art work here and there. One of the yards had small water pools decorated with turquoise color tiles, with the water flowing down to the next pools below for a total of 8 pools on each side of the garden, recreating the sound of water falls surrounded by sleeping willows. The school had a restaurant were warm food and sandwiches were prepared daily. The Kindergarten area was created for the comfort of small children with low height stairs, small size toilettes and sinks. The school encouraged outside activities by organizing skiing trips, and ice skating at the local ice skating ring.
Studying at Le Lycee Razi
Preschool and kindergarten was the time to learn French, in order for the students to be able to follow the future classes taught in French at Le Lycee Razi.
Preschool started for children 3 years old, with French being the only language spoken by the teachers, who were French speaking nationals. These children would then go into kindergarten for 2 more years learning to speak and interact in French, and by the end of the second year in kindergarten they would be fluent in French. This allowed the young students to start their first grade by the age of 6 and follow the classes taught in French.
In the elementary school, all children followed the French Curriculum, but the Iranian students were required to learn Iranian, and Arabic.
At the middle school level the Lycee Razi curriculum and the original group of students was divided into two sections: One Iranian, and one French.
The Iranian section consisted of Iranian students and the French section consisted of French speaking nationals, as well as French speaking Iranians.
high school
Both sections system continued all the way to the high school diploma
The Sections
In the Iranian section, the classes were taught in Iranian by Iranian instructors, and followed the Iranian curriculum while other subjects were taught in French by French instructors. Students from the Iranian section obtained the Iranian high school diploma.
The French section in which all classes were taught in French by French instructors, and followed the French National Curriculum and at the end of their study, the students obtained their Baccalaureat which is the French high school diploma.
For those who had obtained their French Baccalaureat the entry in French Universities were facilitated.
The Iranian revolution and the end of Le Lycee Razi
During the revolution many French high school teachers refused to leave the country against the recommendation from the French Embassy. This decision on the part the teachers was made in order to help the students in their last year of high school to be allowed to finish their school year and obtain their Baccalaureat.
After the revolution in 1980 the Lycee Razi was taken by the new Iranian government without any compensation to the Mission Laique Francaise for building costs and other costs, thus ending the whole school system known as such and terminating the existence of the Lycee Razi. Since 1980 fraudulent claims have been made that the school which has kept its name is the same school, however, this is erroneous which has created many confusions. Although the school has kept the name "Razi", it has no connection at all with the old school system in any way since 1980. Since the revolution a new school has been created -using the same buildings- with an entirely different curriculum, and culture in accordance with the Islamic Republic ideologies, and it is a male only public school. The differences between the two schools are noticed amongst other things ( mixed sexes in the school as well as in the classrooms; all students being fluent in French regardless of their section, which had half of the school following the French curriculum, started from preschool all the way to high school,the amenities and activities of the school not being comparable to what they use to be),by the end of the official agreement between the two original parties, as well as a completely different culture and different goals, therefore offering an entirely different outcome for the students.
Many very young students still attending the school during the revolution found themselves without the support of the same school system.
Razi High School is notable for being a high school where affluent families sent their children, yet many arrangements were made to allow children of less fortunate families to attend. The beauty of the grounds, the reputation for excellent schooling of this establishment still lives around the world as an example. Many of the alumni from this school went on to building outstanding careers in many fields including medicine, physics, engineering, business, law and finance around the world.
Notable alumni
- Farah PahlaviFarah PahlaviFarah Pahlavi is the former Queen and Empress of Iran. She is the widow of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Shah of Iran, and only Empress of modern Iran...
, The last empress of Iran. - Ali Reza Pahlavi IIAli Reza Pahlavi IIPrince Ali Reza Pahlavi was a member of the Pahlavi Imperial Family.He was the younger son of the former Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and his third wife Empress Farah and the grandchild of Reza Shah...
, 1976 - (28/4/1966 – 4/1/2011) Younger son of the late Mohammad-Reza Pahlavi Shah of Iran. - Fereydoun FarrokhzadFereydoun FarrokhzadFereydoun Farrokhzad PhD. was an Iranian singer, actor, poet, TV and radio host, writer, and political opposition activist. He was the younger brother of the acclaimed Persian poet Forough Farrokhzad....
, (فریدون فرخزاد) Famous Persian singer and show anchor - Arta Babak, 1976 - Doctor in Chiropractic, Los AngelesLos ÁngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, USA - Amir-Naser Eftetah, 1953 - Tonbak Instructor TehranTehranTehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
, Iran - Vahid Majidi - Ph.D., Director of WMD Department at FBI, USA
- Arash HejaziArash HejaziArash Hejazi , born 1971 in Tehran, Iran, is an Iranian novelist, fiction writer and translator of literary works from English and Portuguese into Persian. He is also an editor in Caravan Books Publishing House , and Book Fiesta Literary Magazine...
- M.D. An Iranian British author and the witness in death of Neda Agha Soltan