Statements in a Video Conference with Heads and Managers of Education

In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Thanks be to God, the Lord of the worlds, and peace and blessings be upon our master Muhammad and his pure family, especially the remaining one of God on the earth, and may God's curse be upon all their enemies.

Peace be upon you, O Aba Abdullah, and upon the souls that have settled in your vicinity. Peace be upon you from me, as long as I remain and as long as night and day remain, and may God not make it the last of my covenant to visit you. Peace be upon Hussein, and upon Ali ibn Hussein, and upon the children of Hussein, and upon the companions of Hussein.

The great movement of Zainab al-Kubra and Imam Sajjad (peace be upon them) is a true uprising. Today is the twelfth of Muharram, the day of the martyrdom of Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him) according to one narration, and clearly and evidently, it is the day of the beginning of the Zainabi and Sajjadi uprising; that is, Ashura was the Hussaini uprising, and the various events after Ashura are indeed the Zainabi uprising. The great movement of Zainab al-Kubra, first and foremost, and Imam Sajjad (peace be upon him) and the other great women of the family of God during this period of one or two months after that, is a true uprising. They accomplished great works, immortalized Karbala and this great martyrdom, and established it. We hope that, God willing, the Almighty God will increase the blessings of the uprising of the Master of Martyrs for humanity day by day forever.

I take this opportunity to thank the Iranian nation for their good behavior during the Ashura days. This event that occurred truly made this year - as some other gentlemen also mentioned in their statements - a phenomenon that will remain in the history of the country; the existence of severe restrictions due to the disease and the spread of the disease and the care to prevent this spread, while maintaining the Hussaini fervor and preserving the gatherings - these great gatherings that were formed - and the great spiritual movement that the people showed. And also to the esteemed speakers, the mourners, and the elegy reciters; I sincerely thank all of them. I am not someone who thanks; rather, as a devoted follower of the Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) and a devotee of Ashura, I truly express my gratitude.

I also find it necessary at the beginning of my speech to give my best wishes to you dear friends and esteemed attendees and the large education system for the several months of programs you have implemented; you have all worked hard and done a lot. The efforts of the education system during these difficult months should not be overlooked; managing schools, participating in managing elections, managing exams, managing classes, virtual space, and the other programs that were carried out, and then planning for the next year which will start from mid-September. Great works were accomplished that were unprecedented in education, there was no experience in these areas, and you worked; may God willing, may He grant you success.

I also thank the esteemed Minister for his statements; he provided a good report and the matters he mentioned are encouraging, and we hope that, God willing, these works will continue, to which I will also offer some reminders. The works you mentioned and stated are significant and important, and whatever you do for education is warranted; the works should be mature, considered, and with the necessary consultation, taking into account various aspects; whatever you do for this great need of the country is warranted. I would like to add this to my thanks; the text that he read was eloquent and good; it is very important that when we want to read, write, and say statements, we observe both the Persian language and correctness, as well as the use of eloquent expressions and beautiful words. The text he read had these qualities; for this reason, I thank him.

Dear brothers and sisters! We have spoken a lot about education, I have also spoken a lot until now, others have also said a lot, and you have all said a lot. Many of the things we have said before, the recommendations we have made, can be reiterated today; that is, many of the matters that should have reached a conclusion have not yet reached; efforts have been made, thanks be to God, but work must continue until we reach the objectives we desire. Today, I want to present a few points.

Human development; the logic behind the establishment of the great education system. One point, which is the main point, is to pose this question and answer it: what logic underlies education, this great system, not only in our country but in all countries of the world? What is the logic behind creating such a large organization, a cultural army in fact, consisting of students, teachers, various employees, and different managers? We know the brief answer. The logic is human development; that is, the raw material, the six or seven-year-old child, enters this factory and undergoes transformation for twelve years, and a product, an output must come out of this factory; what is that output? A worthy human being; however, the definition of a 'worthy human being' varies among different schools of thought, different countries, and different societies; not everyone defines 'worthy human being' the same way; this is why the types of education and upbringing in various societies are not uniform. In the Islamic Republic, we pursue this same goal; we want a human being to be educated in this twelve-year framework. The characteristic of these twelve years is that they are the best times for learning; that is, at these ages, learning is easier, more lasting, and better and more worthy; for this reason, it is important.

The characteristics of a human being in accordance with Islamic thought. We want the output of this great system, this large machine, to be a product that aligns with Islamic thought. Now, what characteristics does the desired human being of the Islamic society, the Islamic Revolution, and the Islamic system have? In this regard, of course, a lot has been said - everyone has spoken, I have always presented some points, others have said - but now if we want to briefly define the Islamic model of the human being that we expect education to cultivate, we define it as a human being with these characteristics: first, he must be a believer; faith is the first condition. Second, he must be wise; that is, he must use his intellect. "So that you may understand" (Quran 2:73) see how much there is in the Quran! Third, he must be a thinker; that is, he must think. The intellect is not only for finding practical ways of life; it is primarily for thinking and contemplation, which is more important than becoming a scholar. If we want to have good scholars, we must have good thinkers. Then, becoming a scholar and acquiring knowledge; this is also a characteristic. He must be a struggler and a person of action; that is, sitting and talking and merely thinking and being verbose is not enough; he must be a person of action, which also has many discussions in this regard. Action must also be persistent and striving; the same action that in the sacred law of Islam is called 'jihad', which in this case is jihad in the way of God, the jihad encouraged by the law. A just human being must emerge, a disciplined human being must emerge, a human being who embodies Islamic ethics; these are the characteristics of the human being we expect to be produced through the education you provide and the upbringing you conduct.

The content of the executive policies of education. Well; if our expectation is this - which of course has degrees, it can be strong or weak; we do not want to say that the highest degree is desired everywhere; after all, humans have different levels, different talents, and different conditions - if we want such a human being to emerge from this factory, what characteristics must exist in this factory? What knowledge should we teach? How should we teach them to think? How should we teach them to embody Islamic ethics? That is, how to work; this is important. With what methods, what knowledge is necessary to be provided? Because it is education and upbringing, what knowledge is necessary in education? What kind of practice and working methods are needed in upbringing? Each of these to what extent? At what level? By what kind of teachers? All of these need to be planned; these must be specified in education. Therefore, these are the executive policies of education.

The need for a solid intellectual foundation and fundamental transformation in education. Of course, in the distant past, from the day the new European-style education entered the country, these thoughts were not at all considered. It was merely a copying of the education of European countries that was brought here, and no one thought about what kind of human being we need here and what the conditions of the country, the atmosphere of the country, with the expression commonly used these days, the ecosystem of the country, requires; these were not considered. They brought what they practiced and started implementing it here. Of course, over time - both before and after the revolution - superficial changes have occurred. After the revolution, for a long time, no fundamental change or transformation took place; there were changes, of course, in minor issues. The fact that we raised the issue of fundamental transformation in education a few years ago is related to this matter. We wanted to raise this issue that our education needs a solid intellectual foundation; it needs to clarify and establish these characteristics that were mentioned. Now I will explain how the foundation of transformation and the nature of transformation will be realized, which has seen a lot of work in this area in recent years.

Identifying overarching goals, general strategies, practical policies, and executive programs. Therefore, the discussion about transformation and recognizing the foundation of transformation will clarify for us what this vast cultural network, this vast cultural army, that has approximately fourteen million students, about one million teachers, employees, and managers, should produce and how it should be achieved. This issue of transformation that we are discussing must clarify for us what the output should be and how this output is achieved; what awareness, what skills, what ethical characteristics, what behavioral characteristics must exist in the product and graduate of these twelve years.

Thus, in the plan for transformation, naturally, the goals are first; the goals must be specified - the overarching goals - which, of course, all of these goals must be based on Islam and revelation and firm doctrinal and Quranic foundations and the real needs of the Iranian society with its characteristics; they must be based on these things. Once the goals are specified, based on these goals, the guidelines and general strategies are specified. These are the works that have been done in your transformation plan; that is, these works have been accomplished. Of course, these strategies and guidelines that are determined must be clear, accompanied by a correct explanation of the intended concept; verbosity and similar things are of no use; it must be clear what we want to do, what the general guideline and strategy is. Based on these strategies, then the operational goals must be specified, detailing how we will act in each section and what these goals are. After the operational goals and, in fact, the practical policies are specified, then it is time for the specific executive program to achieve these goals. Well, this program has not yet been fully presented; in all the governments that have been and in various periods in education, works have been done, operational programs have been presented as operational programs, but only part of this transformation document has been considered, the entire transformation document has not been taken into account. When one looks at the transformation document, the entire transformation document must be completely planned; that is, with clear lines, like the branches of water and irrigation networks that bring the water from the dam to the farm and to the land. Your operational program is like this; it must be able to operationalize the generalities, the general concepts, the desires in various sections - whether scientific sections or educational and nurturing sections - and bring them there and operationalize them. What is important is that this planning must be done, and the senior management of education and the Supreme Council of Education have the responsibility to carry out this planning.

The necessity of updating and renewing the fundamental transformation document of education. Of course, the document has been completed and it has been about nine years since this document was issued, and in numerous sessions in the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution - I think about fourteen or fifteen sessions - this document has been discussed and debated; however, in this document, it is mentioned that this document should be renewed every five years. In my opinion, it should also be renewed; that is, we should have a somewhat complementary perspective. Of course, this should not mean that we set aside planning to renew it, which would also take a long time in the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution; it should not be like that. That planning must be done, and this renewal must also be done; that is, updating and considering. Some expressions that are somewhat far-fetched are also in these goals and strategies that I mentioned; these must be simple, clear, and explanatory, so that it is clear what we want. These works must be done.

Therefore, there are two important tasks: one is the renewal of the original document, which must be done by the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution; they must carry out this renewal, meaning it must be done there, and you must follow up; and the second is the comprehensive executive program that the education system must prepare; this is also your task; a comprehensive program must be prepared. Of course, you have prepared part of this program, and you have operationalized many parts as you mentioned in your report, and I have also heard about the works that have been done; some of the works I was aware of, but a comprehensive program must be in your hands that makes it clear what you want to do.

The necessity of scheduling and having progress indicators in the comprehensive executive program. Therefore, this comprehensive program must include all operational goals, be solid, and have a timeline; that is, two important things are necessary in this comprehensive program: one is scheduling, and the other is progress indicators. Schedule it, and also have indicators that can show how much this program has progressed, and above this, be able to determine how valid this document is; because in practice, when you look at the result, you understand that we have progress, we understand that the document is a valid document; if we see that no matter how hard we try, we do not reach a result, we understand that there is a flaw in the original work, we go back and correct that flaw. Therefore, in this planning, both scheduling is necessary and determining indicators is necessary. These are the two tasks that we mentioned, which of course must be followed up; you must follow them up, the Supreme Council of Education must follow them up, the esteemed Minister and the administrative apparatus of education must follow them up to achieve results.

Clarifying the transformation document for managers, staff, and teachers. One more point regarding the document is its clarification. Now today in the report of the Minister, it was mentioned that this clarification is being carried out, but as I have been informed - I am not present in the education system, but reports reach us - in many places, they are not even aware of this transformation document. We say transformation document, I have repeatedly emphasized the transformation document over the years, that manager of a certain section hears the transformation document, does not know what the transformation document is! Well, this cannot be. When he does not know, his heart does not become familiar, he does not gain motivation. This must be clarified; not only for managers, but also for the main staff, even for teachers; teachers must understand what this document is. And the document must be arranged in such a way that it is attractive for all of them to look at, learn, and understand. My main point is actually about this transformation document and the characteristics that were mentioned.

Teachers; the officers of the country's progress. A few more points I want to mention. The first point regarding the teacher. In the education system, no element has as much impact as the teacher; the teacher is decisive. In fact, in this vast cultural army that you are, the education system, these several million, the officers who manage the groups and collections are these teachers, each teacher has a specific task and is doing a job and is actually leading a group. In truth, our dear teachers are the officers of the country's progress; because education is the means of the country's progress. Our dear teachers are truly - in the real sense of the word, not as a formality - the officers of the country's progress.

Three important factors in preserving the dignity and role of the teacher: 1) the teacher himself. Well, we must preserve the dignity of the teacher and the role of the teacher. Who should preserve it? First and foremost, the teachers themselves; that is, the teacher must pay attention and know that the future of the country is affected by his effort and wisdom; he must know that the work he is doing in the classroom - regardless of who his audience is; from a small child to a seventeen or eighteen-year-old youth - is actually building the future of the country; every teacher must feel this. This gives him self-confidence, gives him hope, and motivates him to do his job well, to regard his dignity as high. When you regard your dignity as high, whatever people think, they think. When a person truly understands what a high dignity he has - which indeed the dignity of teaching is high - then this leads to the preservation and protection of that dignity.

2) Support from education. The second factor is that education must support teachers in practice. I was pleased with the report regarding housing and similar matters that the Minister mentioned about teachers - of course, I had not heard - these works must be done. Of course, the parliament and various related agencies - that is, the planning and budget organization and others - must also help. The view of education should not be that of a consumptive organization; it should be viewed as a foundational organization. If you spend billions to build a dam or a highway, you never think that you have consumed your money and wasted it. Education is far, far more important than other construction organizations that exist in the country. This is a place for investment; in fact, whatever you spend here, you are investing, you are building a foundation; everyone must pay attention to this; both the parliament must pay attention, and the government must pay attention, and the planning organization must pay attention, and the education system itself must also pay attention to this meaning. This is the second factor for preserving the dignity and role of the teacher.

3) Cultural promotion by media organizations. The third factor is the media organizations that must promote culture; that is, teaching must be a status that largely depends on the media. For example, suppose you can make a film in which a teacher exists and has a role, so that when a person watches that film, he wishes, "I wish I were a teacher!" This work is necessary; this work is obligatory. Now I said film, not that we should just make a film and think the work is done; no, this should be a continuous movement that in various artistic forms, the teacher should be promoted, respect and honor for the teacher should become a public culture and have an impact on public opinion. This is also this factor. If this issue is realized, then the status of the teacher will be elevated. And this is a matter of preserving the status of teaching.

The University of Teacher Training and Shahid Rajaei University, the only path for teachers to enter education. The second issue is the issue of attracting teachers; where do we find teachers? How do we train teachers? In my opinion, these two universities you have are very good. I mentioned these in 2018 at the University of Teacher Training. The University of Teacher Training and Shahid Rajaei University are among the best centers that have been established in the country for cultural issues and similar matters. It should be such that not a single teacher should enter education from outside this path. We must build the capacity of the University of Teacher Training and Shahid Rajaei University in such a way that all teachers adequately pass through here and enter education. Even the short-term courses that are now planned and the courses that exist, for example, one-year courses and similar ones, should be under the responsibility of the University of Teacher Training and Shahid Rajaei University; this work is very necessary. Well, so one point is that the path for teachers to enter education should solely be from here. Now I also advise the dear members of parliament that it should not be such that they approve in a way that a group, at some point, enters education without any accountability, just like snow falling; this is not appropriate. Whatever is done, the entry of teachers should be through these two universities.

The necessity of qualifications in attracting and selecting teachers. The second task is that these two universities must observe qualifications in their selection; they must pay attention to religious qualifications, ethical qualifications, and political qualifications as much as possible. They must select and, in the true sense of the word, choose individuals and let them in. Of course, we have had an undesirable history in the selection process in various places in previous years, where the selection criteria have not been correct; for example, suppose regarding a very rare jurisprudential issue that even if one asks a jurist, it is not clear if he would be able to answer, they ask a young person, and if he does not answer, he is rejected; do not do these things. A proper, wise, and correct selection must be carried out so that qualified individuals enter education; otherwise, it will be detrimental. A teacher who has such importance and value, and we define so much about him, if a low-quality or, God forbid, harmful element is present, it will naturally yield the opposite result.

The importance of observing educational justice. The next point is the issue of educational justice. I have repeatedly spoken about educational justice. That our student in a remote area should not have a different educational share than our student in a neighborhood in Tehran is a principle; now sometimes someone has more talent - which, incidentally, in these remote centers, outstanding talents are sometimes observed - [this is not a problem]. We must ensure that everyone can utilize their appropriate share in the country's education. Therefore, educational justice exists in this sense. Of course, now that the issue of virtual education and similar matters has arisen, the issue of justice is more sensitive, because not everyone may have the opportunity to use virtual space, may not have the financial means; we must think about this. Now [what] you can do, [you must think]; of course, I have heard that you have started some works; you must continue and follow up. And especially the media must help, and education through the media can compensate for a significant part of this. After all, educational justice is very important.

One point regarding educational justice is the issue of public schools; we must be careful that public schools should not be such that a student studying in public schools feels that, for example, his chances of passing the entrance exam are less; it should not be like this. That is, we must raise the level of public schools, both in terms of education and in terms of upbringing, so that the student himself feels confident, and his family, who want to send this child to a public school, do not feel that they are sending him to a place where he is unprotected and abandoned; it should not be like this. Public schools must be genuinely attended to.

The potential harms and losses in virtual education. Regarding virtual education, there is another point, and that is the potential harms that may exist in virtual education. Now this Shad network that has been established is very good, but you must be careful that this does not lead to young people entering the unrestrained and chaotic space of the internet and getting distracted by other things that pose significant moral and ideological dangers for them; this must be carefully monitored, that is, you must anticipate. Of course, the day before yesterday, I received a report regarding the intellectual work that education has done in this regard, but you must work in this area; that is, this is a matter that cannot be neglected; because the issue of children's familiarity with virtual space has its advantages, it also has its flaws. One of its flaws is that I mentioned; one of its flaws is the isolation of children at home; when they become familiar with tablets and similar devices, they get engrossed in that work and gradually distance themselves from the home and family environment. You must pay attention to these and monitor them. This is also from this point.

The necessity of focusing on nurturing activities. The next point that I want to emphasize is the issue of nurturing activities. Even now in education, "nurturing" is lagging behind; that is, this can be stated without any hesitation. Unfortunately, it has been a long time that despite all the emphasis that has been placed in this area, the issue of nurturing has been neglected; it has not received the necessary attention and focus, which must be done. Now in the context of virtual space and remote communication and similar matters, this meaning will be even more important; you must find new methods and frameworks to ensure that, God willing, the nurturing aspect in education, among these millions of adolescents who are in your care, is secured.

The importance of identifying and nurturing outstanding talents. The next point regarding the gifted schools is that the Minister mentioned, and I also emphasize - well, this resolution has been issued; of course, it has been issued late - and it is very good; you must reach out to the gifted schools. The nurturing of outstanding and brilliant talents is one of the very fundamental and important issues. We must truly identify and nurture these talents;

Perhaps a heavenly man Will lead an army to victory.

Because sometimes you see that a brilliant talent leads a country through a significant and dangerous passage and accomplishes great works; we also genuinely need this, and we do not lack outstanding talents; firstly, the average talent of our country is above the global average, and secondly, among this collection of our youth and adolescents, there are many outstanding and brilliant talents; these must be pursued, God willing, which is also good. The country's position in the Olympiads must also progress, as now he said it is like the past; like which past? Because in recent years it has not been very outstanding; if it is like these years, this is not a compliment; if it is like the years before, then the number of medals and the color of the medals were much more prominent, that would be good.

The necessity of managing kindergartens and preschools by education. One issue is the issue of kindergartens and preschools. Unfortunately, kindergartens are neglected; kindergartens are also under the education system. First, various government agencies have disputes in this area that must be resolved; moreover, when you leave the system unattended, others come and take the children of the people, take them there, and provide incorrect education. I have received very concerning reports from some kindergartens that are truly alarming. Manage the kindergartens. A kindergarten is not just a service center that keeps the child and provides services, but in a sense, it is an educational and nurturing center, but with its own specific language and method. When we say to have a program for kindergartens, by priority, preschools also gain importance; preschools are also very important, and there must be thought for them, and a program must be prepared for the children who naturally all pass through preschool - which was not the case before - so that they can utilize this opportunity, God willing.

The reason for the insistence of the tyrants of the world on infiltrating the education of countries. The final point I want to make is to think about why the tyrants of the world and the pharaohs of the world are so eager and insistent on infiltrating the education of countries; this requires some contemplation. [This infiltration] sometimes comes with noise, like the 2030 document, which made a lot of noise and is for everyone. This means the infiltration of Western culture and lifestyle and Western goals into all countries of the world. Why? For what reason? Why should a country like ours, with its deep-rooted and profound culture, its divine and faithful culture, its brilliant Iranian culture, be influenced by the teachings of those whose civilization and culture are new, materialistic, incorrect, and failed? Today, the social philosophy of the West has failed in the West itself; well, see what is happening! The other day I spoke about America. In America, from Hollywood to the Pentagon - that is, consider the distance between Hollywood and the Pentagon - there is corruption everywhere; both there and there, and among these. Why should the culture of a country like Islamic Iran or Islamic countries and perhaps some other countries in the world be influenced by a document that the people of these civilizations, these countries, have set up with corrupt and wrong communities? Therefore, pay attention to the fact that their infiltration and insistence on infiltration is due to the impact on education; it is because they want to accomplish things that they cannot easily achieve through military means through this means; in some places and in some cases with a public tool like this 2030 document; which unfortunately has also been attended to in our country, and I have also heard that some parts of this document are being implemented and pursued by some unworthy or oblivious individuals - and I ask the Minister to pursue this matter seriously - just like the infiltration in the education of some countries in the region, where we know that quietly and without noise, they are changing textbooks, the status of teachers, and education; they are separating individuals from the group and taking them to their countries for a while, training them, and bringing them back. They want to infiltrate education. This, in my opinion, is very important. It is necessary for everyone to have sensitivity regarding the enemy's infiltration; everyone must be vigilant. They insist on infiltration; you must know why they insist. They want to implement their wicked goals through this infiltration and create individuals who think like them; therefore, suppose they want to plunder a country, when there are people inside the country who agree with this plunder, who think like them, this plunder is easily and readily accomplished. And in any case, attention must be paid to this meaning.

The stain of shame of the United Arab Emirates' betrayal. One point I want to mention at the end regarding the betrayal that unfortunately the United Arab Emirates committed; it betrayed the Islamic world, it betrayed the Arab world, it betrayed the countries of the region, and it betrayed the important issue of Palestine. What the Emiratis did is a stain of shame; of course, this will not last, that state will not last long, God willing, but this stain of shame will remain on the foreheads of those who took this action today. They betrayed, they did a very bad thing, they opened the door for the Zionists in the region. The issue of Palestine, with this importance, [that is] the usurpation of a country, the displacement of a nation, is not a small matter? [They] have forgotten it and normalized it.

The Palestinian nation, whether in Gaza or in the so-called occupied territories - of course, all of Palestine is occupied territory, but that part which is now politically referred to as occupied territories - is under severe pressures from all directions: these settlement constructions, these actions that are taking place; this is how it is, and then they come to agree with the Israelis and with the wicked American Zionist elements who are allied with the Israelis - like the Jew who is also present in the Trump family - [to make agreements]. And they are unfortunately working against the interests of the Islamic world and the interests of the region, and with utmost cruelty, they are dealing with the issues of this region; we must not assist them; and the Emiratis have assisted in this matter. We hope they wake up soon and compensate for what they have done.

We hope that, God willing, the Almighty God will grant you all success and support so that you can carry out this heavy duty that you have, God willing, and may education achieve greater elevation day by day.

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings.