Hameed Reza Gangoozahi: The Baloch Teacher who Save His Students

 Moein Arjomand – Baloch Activists Campaign

On April 3, 2016 following the collapse of a wall in Routak, Khash, a teacher who rushed to save his students tragically lost his life after ensuring their safety.

Hameed Reza Gangoozahi was a teacher at a primary school with 53 students in the village of Nokjoob, Khash County. During recess, he and another teacher noticed that the wall of a dilapidated building adjacent to the school was collapsing toward the students.

He immediately sprang into action to rescue them, but the strength and speed of the whirlwind were so intense that the wall completely gave way. The selfless teacher was buried under the rubble and lost his life, while the other teacher, Abdul Rauf Shahnavazi, was injured.

The Director-General of Education in Sistan and Baluchistan commented:

“A strong whirlwind occurred in Khash County. Due to recent rainfall, the walls were wet and unstable. The wind caused the collapse of a wall at Shahid Rahimi Elementary School in Nokjoob, Routak.”

He continued: “At the time of the whirlwind, Hameed Reza Gangoozahi and Abdul Rauf Shahnavazi, both teachers at the school, noticed the weakening structure of a neighbouring house. They rushed to rescue the students and although the children were saved, the teachers themselves were caught under the debris due to the force of the collapse.”

This brave Baloch teacher, through his sacrifice and selflessness, honoured the noble legacy of educators. Yet despite his heroic act, his name was barely mentioned in the media, and no official commemoration has been held in the years since. His story has slowly faded from public memory.

The collapse of the wall and the death of this devoted teacher highlight the broader educational deprivation in Baluchistan. Another tragic example is the story of Fariba Chardiavari, a young girl from Chabahar, who died after being buried under the rubble of her school’s decaying wall while trying to collect her textbooks.

Hameed Reza’s sacrifice should have served as a wake-up call for authorities not to neglect underserved regions. However, dilapidated and makeshift schools still exist across Baluchistan, and there has been little effort to rebuild or renovate them.

Sistan and Baluchistan continues to face the most severe educational inequality in the country.

According to Ali Reza Rashki, former Director-General of School Renovation in the province, mud-brick and clay classrooms remain common, especially in rural and impoverished areas like Saravan, Rask, Sib and Sooran, Qasr-e Qand, and Jask. These structures, second only to palm-thatch (kapari) schools, represent the most inadequate educational environments in the region.

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