Statements of His Excellency in Meeting with the Minister, Deputies, and Managers of Education and Training Nationwide

In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful Dear friends, thank you for your efforts in gathering to discuss the most important human issue of the country; namely, education and training; particularly regarding one of the most fundamental and essential topics that may arise in the field of education and training; namely, transformation.

Transformation is a word, but behind this verbal existence, there is a world of work hidden. First, what are these works? Second, with what aim are these works to be carried out? Third, how should these works be done?

Answering these three questions is a lifetime of work. We place all of these under the word transformation and say: transformation. Well, the fact that you have thought of transformation and want to bring about a profound change in the education and training system of the country is truly commendable; you have exerted effort, you have shown courage, you have mentioned the name of transformation; because sometimes systems seem so enduring, so fused, and so unchangeable that one does not dare to approach them with the intention of change and transformation. Well, you have dared, you said you want to create transformation in the educational system of the country. This in itself is very important.

First of all, it is clear to you, to me, and to anyone interested in the issue of education and training - and it must be repeated - that education and training is the most important task of a country. If a country wants to achieve material dignity, spiritual happiness, political dominance, scientific advancement, and the prosperity of worldly life, it must regard education and training as a fundamental and necessary task; why? Because all of these tasks require human resources. Human resources are primarily shaped and formed in education and training; so that if our education and training, which occupies nearly twelve years of the best season of a person's life, operates in an optimal manner, it will result in a youth who has been shaped and molded here, and there will be less likelihood of fundamental change in future events in them. If that youth takes a good shape, they will continue life in that form to a considerable extent. Therefore, education and training is the main center for building, nurturing, and producing that essential factor; which is? Human beings; capable human beings, human resources. Thus, in the realm of human issues, there is no issue, no institution higher or more important than education and training. This is a very important matter.

Of course, as we said, we all know this - it is not a new statement; the officials of the country also know - yet the necessary actions regarding this knowledge and awareness are not sufficiently taken! Suppose in the macro perspective of national planning - programs, budgets, and the allocation of financial resources - education and training should not be considered as a consumer, but rather as a producer, and a producer of the most important and fundamental element for the country's advancement. What we provide to education and training in terms of resources, money, various opportunities, and different supports is, in fact, helping to save a tremendous spiritual wealth; this wealth must gradually be spent for the future of the country and the nation. This must be taken into account.

Another matter to consider is that the current education and training system of our country is not the product of our thoughts, our programs, and our philosophy; this is an obvious fact; this is also one of the certainties, but we do not pay attention to it! Since the day a system called the education and training system was established in this country - from the very beginning - the foundation of the work was not based on the philosophy we are pursuing today. There were two major flaws. One flaw was from the perspective of belief and faith, and the other flaw was from the political and managerial perspective of the country.

The flaw from the perspective of faith was that those who introduced modern education and training into the country did not intend to make people and youth religious; rather, their intention was to distance people from religious beliefs. This is undoubtedly the case. Of course, those who were the initial designers of the Ministry of Education and Training in the country, who laid out the programs and wrote the textbooks, some of them were not entirely irreligious; no, among them were also religious individuals, but the overarching program was this. It was the same program that manifested itself in education and training in one way, in the issue of unveiling in another way, and in the issue of crushing religious centers by Reza Khan in another way; that is, the development of non-religious thoughts, indeed anti-religious thoughts. Education and training was established based on such thinking. And those who initially established education and training - as we mentioned - some of them were not irreligious, they were religious; their signs of religiosity are sometimes found in that old educational system and old textbooks; which we had seen some of in our youth and there were some indications, but the foundation was anti-religious, not non-religious; it was based on opposition to religion. As time passed, this anti-religious aspect continued and increased until the end of the Pahlavi era.

The political and managerial aspect was the anti-national aspect of education and training. Although that regime claimed nationality, it was genuinely seeking nationality; because they had no ideology; they had to - when ideology is set aside, religion is set aside, a substitute is necessary. This substitute was established as nationality; like many other countries. Therefore, they pursued nationality - but that nationality they pursued did not mean preserving national identity in the true sense. Why? Because their political dependencies were increasing day by day, and this was reflected in the quality of the teachings and education of the education and training system; just as it was reflected in the formulation of our legal and judicial systems; just as it was reflected in the structure of our government offices and public organizations; that is, absolute Westernization. This was also present in education and training.

Our education and training system was a Westernized, imitative system based on accepted beliefs and foundations in Europe. Now one preferred Belgium, another preferred England, another preferred France; ultimately, it was related to them. This was evident in various administrative sectors and government structures; education and training was formed in exactly the same way and remained so. Now, the noteworthy point is that those who were the models of our traditional and old education and training did not limit themselves to the same forms and frameworks of that day; they continuously brought about transformations and advanced themselves; however, these imitators did not understand those transformations and retained the traditional form.

This was the traditional education and training that had formed in our country. Of course, these were its basic lines; not that we want to provide a complete definition of education and training. These two major flaws; namely, first, the aspect of opposition to religion - at least the contradiction with religious principles and ethical values and religious upbringing - and second, the extreme translation, dependency, and imitation, not having emerged from the real needs of the country and the Iranian nation, were the fundamental flaws of our education and training that persisted until the Islamic Revolution.

During the Revolution, many works were done in education and training; however, the education and training system did not transform and remained the same old system! These flaws that you, especially experienced old teachers, knowledgeable managers of education and training, and aware old educators usually mention, they say the lessons are memorization-based, do not foster creativity in youth, there is no contemplation, the work is dense and overwhelming, and ... all of these stem from the same old system that has remained since that time, and as we mentioned earlier, it is old, dense, dusty, and rigid, remaining in our system. Of course, much work has been done in the structural issues: textbooks did not start with "In the Name of God," now they start with "In the Name of God"; they did not have verses from the Quran, now they do. Good works have been done; no, I truly and fairly do not deny the good works. I see the textbooks that have included Islamic and national foundations in various fields - with differences over the years and depending on the types of management preferences during these twenty-eight years - and whenever a work has been done. This work that has now been mentioned - including scientific figures in textbooks - I have seen; it is a very good work. Ultimately, our youth need to recognize the scholars of their country and the history of their country and the scientific figures of their country in their textbooks. Our youth know a player from a certain country's team much better than they know Ibn Sina! Than they know Muhammad ibn Zakariya al-Razi! Those who are into cinema know a famous French or American actor much more than a great Persian scholar or a mathematician! These are included in the textbooks; it is very good. We appreciate these works. However, none of these are transformation. Transformation is a root movement, and you can achieve it. This collection that today bears the important responsibilities of the country and education and training, they have sufficient motivation for this work. And this work must be done.

See what we want? What do we want the product and output of education and training to be? First, let’s specify this; let’s outline it; then see what important and fundamental works, what necessary teachings, must be provided within what educational program, so that this being is nurtured. Then our capable individuals should sit down to define and formulate that system and courageously enter the field and define the education and training structure according to that system and realize it. This will be true and fundamental transformation.

We want the person who graduates from education and training after thirteen years - now that preschool is also included, it becomes thirteen years - to be a person with moral excellence, intellectual and mental excellence, and with piety; we want such a person. From the moral perspective: to be a courageous, kind, benevolent, optimistic, high-minded, positive in judgments, and other moral characteristics that you consider for an ideal human being. From the perspective of intellectual characteristics: creative, inquisitive, thoughtful, innovative, inclined to enter vast fields of human ignorance to discover knowledge and shed light on the unknown, and to possess thought. From the behavioral aspect: a disciplined, law-abiding person. We want such a being. Can such a being be nurtured? Of course; of course it can. It is true that humans are not all the same; it is true that various genes and different creative influences create humans with differences; but generally, all humans are receptive to influence. It was said:

I am but a simple tablet, ready for every design By the hands of the powerful painters, what image will they create of me?

It is your artist's hand that paints this white page; it shapes and molds this being, this body. Of course, every molded being, every shaped body may later be chiseled with a file - for example - or smashed with a hammer; we do not deny these; we do not say that subsequent factors have no effect; but it rarely happens; generally, the common outcome will be what has been nurtured here. Therefore, it is possible to nurture humans in this way from moral, behavioral, intellectual, and spiritual perspectives. Who will nurture them? Primarily education and training. Of course, the media is also an effective factor; the family is also an effective factor; various secondary factors, which of course have less importance, are also present; however, I believe that a good education and training can also dominate the media.

Today we can say that the media should set up a program for education and training to come there and execute programs. A fully correct transformed education and training can have a different impact. We are pursuing that.

Education and training can also influence families. Therefore, the most important and effective factor is education and training. Thus, there is the capability in education and training to nurture such a human being.

This becomes the philosophy of education and training. Of course, as mentioned, knowledgeable and profound individuals should sit down to formulate this; it should be clarified what we want to teach, educate, and nurture, so that what happens. This is the philosophy of education and training; this should be specified; it should be formulated.

Then, based on this philosophy, the desired education and training system will be achieved. That system must be filled like a table with various programs, and of course, the most important and fundamental part of it is execution. Execution requires capable and deserving individuals, and we must also nurture these.

These are tasks that cannot be accomplished in a year or two. You should put in your effort so that, for example, within fifteen years, this work is accomplished. Fifteen years is a long time; however, for this work, it is not a long time; it is worth it. You should prepare the groundwork; you should prepare the foundation of this building; so that others can come and build upon it. Then, education and training will be freed from the routine. The routine that we said will be eliminated in this way. Of course, until that day, you should not remain idle; the works that the honorable minister mentioned, these are very good works; I have seen this report before.

Vocational training, teacher training, boarding schools, addressing deprived areas, ... these are all very good works; these are necessary works; these must be done; however, none of these are the desired transformation; the desired transformation is something deeper and more fundamental; that must be accomplished.

Of course, the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution has an important responsibility. As does the Supreme Council of Education and Training. All the intellectual and elite forces of the country should join hands and each in their own place and according to their share, may they be able to carry out this great task, God willing.

We pray that God, God willing, grants you success and support, and one of the very good works that has been done in this period is the revival of the educational assistantship, which had been lost or nearly lost due to the poor taste of some predecessors. This has been revived, which is very necessary and important. You should also pay attention to this in various parts of the country and give the necessary attention to the educational assistants and the educational assistantship and the sections related to this work.

God willing, the sacred heart of the Awaited One will be pleased with you, and the pure souls of the martyrs and the sanctified spirit of Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) will be happy with you and will be watching and praying for you, and God willing, may God make your tomorrow much better than your today and yesterday.

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