AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): In a meeting with hundreds of teachers on May 11, 2022, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution described the educational system as being an organization that trains the generation that will build civilization. He praised teachers’ efforts, particularly during the time of Corona, and stressed the need to improve their livelihood. He said, “Teenagers and the young generation should have a national and Islamic-Iranian identity. They must be taught to be self-confident, resistant, well-informed about Imam’s ideas and ideals, knowledgeable, and competent.”
Imam Khamenei stated that teachers have the honor of guiding future generations, and he added, “The purpose of meeting with teachers is to highlight their role, to establish the value of teaching in the public’s opinion so that teachers and their families will be proud of their occupation and so that society will understand that teachers are honorable people.”
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution emphasized that the country does not have a shortage of good laws, plans and decisions, but what is important is to follow up and implement these decisions and laws with hard work and diligence.
In explaining two of the meanings of teaching, His Eminence stated, “Teaching in the sense of instructing and imparting knowledge has a very great value. According to the verses of the Qur’an, God too is an instructor. Prophets, sages, scholars, scientists and outstanding personalities like Martyr Motahhari were also blessed with the very lofty, valuable task of teaching.”
He went on to say, “In the second concept of teaching, which is what the educational system does, in addition to teaching there is a higher value that comes into play as well. This is because those who are being taught are at the best ages for being influenced and trained. Teaching these individuals has much more effect than teaching other groups of people in society.”
In speaking about the long-term goal of creating a new Islamic civilization, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution stated, “Human resources provide the infrastructure for every civilization. The generation that is in the hands of teachers now are the people who will be the creators of the new Islamic civilization. Therefore, we must consider the value of teaching from this perspective.”
Imam Khamenei emphasized, “With this lofty goal, the current generation must have an Iranian-Islamic identity with firm, deep-rooted beliefs. They must be self-confident, self-made, beware of the outdated eastern and western civilizations, and knowledgeable and competent so that they will be able to shape that great civilization.”
In speaking about the education and training of outstanding individuals in the educational system in post-revolutionary Iran, His Eminence stated, “Thanks to the efforts of teachers over the past four decades, competent personalities have been educated in various fields. But this is not enough. In order to build that upcoming civilization, this kind of education and training must become universal.”
He stated that the 12-year opportunity available to the educational system for the training of this generation is an excellent, unique opportunity. Furthermore, he said, “Our large educational system has an ample base in all cities and villages to be able to correctly convey the values and ideals of the Revolution to the hearts and ears of the children of the nation under the shade of teachers’ efforts and to instill the Islamic-Iranian identity in them.”
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution described the educational system as being a truly great organization that builds the future. He added, “We can guess the future of the country by looking at today’s educational system.”
Praising the endeavors of teachers, he said, “Of course, in order to achieve a desirable situation, the current problems should be resolved with acumen, intelligence, determination, diligence and patience.”
In explaining what needs to be done in order to solve these problems, Imam Khamenei spoke of the preparation of suitable textbooks and training the needed teachers for the educational system. He said, “Competence, piety, good morals and skill are very important for teachers and events should not develop in such a way that individuals who have performed poorly in the entrance exam are the ones who turn to teaching. Of course, today too like in previous decades, we do not have a shortage of committed, concerned teachers.”
He brought up certain points about the educational system and said, “Students should have a national identity. As well as hoisting the flag of science, they must also hoist the flag of a national identity and an honorable Islamic-Iranian identity with self-confidence.”
The Leader criticized students’ unfamiliarity with the glories and achievements of the country including the emergence of outstanding personalities after the Revolution, their lack of knowledge about Imam’s instructive teachings and the influential ideals of the Revolution, and their unawareness about revolutionary events. He stressed the point that “as well as imparting knowledge, teachers should also introduce this understanding to the hearts and souls of students.”
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution highlighted resistance and steadfastness as being other needs of the students and added, “In a world where all powers, including the eastern and western powers, show aggression toward others, the future generation should learn the value and significance of resistance so that they can build a civilization in the shade of these teachings and so that the nation and the country will have a feeling of dignity and honor.”
Imam Khamenei advised the Ministry of Education to separate beneficial science from science of little value in the syllabus for students, “A beneficial science is a science that stimulates the talents of teenagers and the youth and that will culminate in the progress and ascendence of the country by investing in the students’ future.”
He also added, “Some subject matters in the current syllabus are merely memorization that is not beneficial to the present or the future. It only inundates the students’ minds in a harmful manner. These subjects should be identified and eliminated from the syllabus.”
The Leader stressed that certain hours must be allotted to developing practical skills instead of teaching subject matters that have little value, “Matters such as the Islamic lifestyle, cooperation and working together in society, studying and researching, activities for the sake of God, confronting social harms, discipline, and respecting the law are skills that must be instilled in students in elementary and secondary school.”
The Leader of the Islamic Revolution expressed his dissatisfaction with the progress of the Document on Fundamental Transformation of Education of the educational system, saying, “Despite the passage of 10 years after this plan was first prepared and the change of various Ministers – this large number of changes in management is harmful in itself – this plan has not yet been implemented in its entirety.”
Imam Khamenei continued on to say, “If the plan needs to be improved and corrected, the officials in charge must do so. In addition, certain criteria must be defined for measuring the progress of the plan.”
His Eminence stated that the burden of implementing important educational responsibilities falls on teachers more than anyone else and said, “At various points in time - such as during the Revolution, the Sacred Defense and various other political events – teachers have played their part in guiding teenagers and the youth. Today too, they must be aware of their important role and responsibility more than ever. Issues such as problems in livelihood should not cause them to become tired, worn out, feel humiliated, or for the importance of their work to be underplayed.”
He described teenagers and the youth as being valuable assets of the country and important trusts in the hands of teachers. He explained, “With teachers’ guidance, these valuable assets must turn into religious, pious individuals with lofty attributes in science, morals and behavior.”
Emphasizing that teachers should teach in their own field of expertise, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution referred to the difficulty of teaching during the pandemic and the trouble that teachers went through. He said, “During this period, teachers went through more trouble, and we must sincerely thank them in this regard.”
Imam Khamenei repeated the recommendation that he has always put forward regarding the problems in livelihood of teachers, “Despite the limits in governmental resources, the problems in livelihood of teachers – their insurance, retirement and healthcare plan – should receive special attention.”
At the end of his statements, His Eminence advised teachers that considering people’s high expectations from the Ministry of Education to fulfill its duties, they should not wait for those expectations to be met. They should advance their educational plans with their own personal initiatives and with a spirit of benevolence and compassion.