“The founder of Bersaba Kindergarten, which Simin Rejali always remembers fondly, was Bersaba Hospian, an entrepreneur and school builder of Persian-Armenian origin who is considered one of the pioneers of preschool education in Iran. Simin Rejali, at the invitation of Ashraf Pahlavi, the twin sister of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last king of Homeland, was appointed as the Secretary General of the Persian Women’s Organization in 1348. It was there that he tried to set up the first family welfare centers in all parts of Homeland based on the plan encouraged by the United Nations. Centers that tried to empower women with literacy and vocational training.
Simin Redjali’s work embodied a belief that education is the foundation of social progress. Her leadership in Iran’s women’s movement during the 1960s and 1970s coincided with a critical period of modernization, and she became part of a network of reformers who helped reshape gender roles in Iranian society. Her contributions—spanning education, welfare, and psychological services—have been recognized by both Iranian and international scholars as instrumental in advancing women’s empowerment through learning.
