Yahya Mafi, 1923-2014, was a co-founder of Mehran School, a teacher and conducted many research projects in the field on education.
Yahya Mafi was from the Mafi tribe of a Kurdish descent. His ancestors were moved to Moallem Kelayeh to the north of Qazvin by the Qajar Dynasty for political and security reasons. Yahya studied in Shahsavar and Tehran schools. He worked in press and publishing establishments. Through that profession, he managed to rub elbows with most of the outstanding journalists and politicians of the post WWII era in Iran. This association was a great school for him. At the same time, Yahya taught at adult schools of Tehran which lead him to the teaching profession. He married in 1950, co-founded Mehr Kindergarten in 1953 and later on, Mehran School together with his wife. Together, they directed Mehran School, as one of the best and most successful school of Iran until the Islamic Revolution nationalized all private schools.
One of the reasons behind the success of this couple in directing a school of more than a thousand students was their realization of their individual capabilities. Faranguees oversaw the designing and revising the curriculums while Yahya managed that huge organization. During 1969, together with several other school principals, Yahya formed the Association of the . . . . Schools. The purpose was to share experience and possibilities among the member schools, for instance they shared a workshop full of machines no one of them could have afforded.
After the nationalization of the private schools by the Islamic Revolution, together with his wife, Yahya Mafi kept and continued his affectionate relationship with Mehran Students and alumni which indicates their success in their efforts in educating thousands of children and young adults.
Yahya Mafi continued his involvement with the Iranian Chapter of the Children’s Book Council. He was a board member of the Company for the Production and Publication of the Encyclopedia of the Children and Young Adults from 1987 up to 2011. He was also one of the founders of Puya Educational Research Association.
Together with his wife, Yaha Mafi established an experimental co-op for the publication of books for children and young adults. They published several books in Farsi, Kurdish, and Turkish texts all in one book. He was fond of horse riding.
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