A Not-So-Drab Revolution

What's revolutionary about nine-year-old girls going to school in bright-colored clothes?

Quite a bit, if the country is Iran, and the change to light greens, pinks, or yellows comes after years of state-mandated blacks, browns, and navies. The Ministry of Education has decided a touch of color benefits the mental health of children and "helps to create a cheerful atmosphere."

Sound thinking, but why doesn't it apply to children older than 9, too?

The guardians of Iran's revolution, known for their conservatism in all matters social, must realize a taste for color - for choice and individuality, actually - can't be turned off at the end of the primary grades.

With more Iranian women breaking with tradition and entering college - which fosters independent thinking even in still theocratic Iran - the seeds of future change are being sown at both ends of the education spectrum.

Evolving Iran remains one of the world's more interesting sights.

(c) Copyright 2000. The Christian Science Publishing Society