Effective Factors in Foundation and Growth of Modern Educational System in Yazd from the Advent of Constitutionalism upto the End of First Pahlavi Era

At the threshold of constitutionalism, the place of Iran entered a new phase of change in the political, social, and cultural structure, which was very different from the previous period. The education system is one of the areas that has undergone significant changes during this period and has been transformed from traditional to modern methods. In the city of Yazd, the modern education system of the Qajar period, especially after the Constitution, experienced a growing trend following the wave of modernity in the country. This article seeks to ask what factors provided the grounds for the establishment and growth of the new educational system in Yazd. The paper states that in addition to providing social conditions for constitutionalism, Yazd Zoroastrians should be considered an influential and pioneering group in the way of the development of schools and, as a result, the establishment of a new way of teaching in Yazd. Additionally, other factors should be considered: Yazd’s trade and cultural ties with other European and Asian countries, due to the arrival of Orientalists and missionaries in Yazd; occupational emigration of Zoroastrian to India, followed by financial expansion and the establishment of educational institutions in their hometown; attracting the attention of Indian Persians to the spread of Zoroastrian religious knowledge; efforts of the rich and merchants of Yazd and some of the clergies and non-Zoroastrian religious minorities; the advent of the printing industry, followed by the emergence of newspapers and the exchange of information. Besides, the first steps in education of girls of Yazd, both in Zoroastrian girls’ schools and in missionary schools, were no exception.