Statements at Farhangian University on the Occasion of Teacher's Day

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 and prophet, Abu al-Qasim al-Mustafa Muhammad, and upon his pure, virtuous, and infallible family, especially the Awaited One among the people of the earth.

My dear ones! Today's meeting is one of the sweetest meetings for me; firstly, because it is a meeting with the esteemed community of teachers; both the teachers present here and the student-teachers - that is, the teachers of tomorrow and the future of this country - and this place is a center for training the esteemed teaching class. We have an annual meeting with teachers; for me, that meeting is always valuable; it is symbolic and serves to honor and respect the teacher; however, this year we have transformed that meeting with the teachers - which used to take place in the Hosseiniyeh of Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) - into this meeting, which is doubly symbolic: both honoring the teacher and honoring the teacher-educating university. Before I begin my remarks, I would like to refer to the statements of our dear sister and the esteemed brothers who spoke; the points raised were good; they are approved by us; I have noted some of them. I kindly ask that what they said be written down, specified, and given to us, and as far as possible, God willing, it will be followed up; correct and measured points were expressed.

Well, Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) said, "Teaching is the profession of prophets"; this is not just a comforting slogan; it is a Quranic truth: وَ یُعَـلِّمُهُمُ الکِتابَ وَ الحِکمَة; among the characteristics of the prophets is teaching. This means you are embarking on a path that the greatest humans in the history of humanity have traversed and for which they were sent forth; that is, the prophets. The unparalleled impact and role of public education and training in the advancement of the country and the happiness of the nation is an extraordinarily important issue. In our view, this is among the obvious truths, among the self-evident matters - although some, unfortunately, do not properly understand this obvious matter - that education and public training are the main infrastructure for the happiness of a nation and the advancement of a country and in the Islamic Republic, the movement towards ideals.

The important duty of all of us - whether this humble servant, government officials, or the various managements in different sectors - is to introduce the status of the teacher in society; this work has not been done; the status of the teacher, the place of the teacher, as I believe and feel and touch, has not taken root in society. The issue of livelihood is certainly important - there is no doubt - but the issue of the teacher's status, if it is not more important than the issue of livelihood, is certainly not less. This status cannot be achieved merely by words; now, if I say, "Teaching is such a lofty position or the position of prophets," this does not shape the public mindset in the country; it cannot be achieved merely by saying it, but requires action. It must be established in the minds of society that the teacher is a reference, the teacher is a noble personality, teaching is a sacred task; this must be planned and executed through artistic work, writing books, making films, composing poetry, and various methods of influence; until now, these works have not been done. One of the fundamental tasks that must be pursued both in the educational environment and in other related environments - in cultural environments, in the media, and elsewhere - is this issue; that is, it must be made clear what status the teacher has and the honoring of the teacher must be realized; it must appear in textbooks, in stories, and in novel writing.

Well, my remarks today with you are in two or three sections, and since the session has become lengthy, I will try not to make it too long: one about the issue of education and training, one regarding issues related to Farhangian University and the issue of teacher training, and a few sentences also regarding the current international issues we are facing, which the esteemed minister referred to at the beginning of his speech.

What we want to express regarding education and training is that the direction of the country's education and training must be towards achieving justice; that is, our education and training must cultivate justice, promote justice, and create justice; because justice is that lofty value that has always been sought by all of humanity from the beginning of human history until today. Values change over time and with the transformation of generations, but some values remain constant from beginning to end; among them is the value of justice. You observe; the religions that believe in the Mahdism - which almost all divine religions believe in - believe that the savior will come and fill the world with justice and fairness; they did not say fill it with religion, but rather fill it with justice and fairness; this shows the importance of justice and fairness. Of course, justice can only be achieved under the shadow of religion; this is a separate matter, but the issue of justice and fairness is very important. Our education and training must have this orientation. Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) in Nahj al-Balagha states: وَ مَا اَخَذَ اللهُ‌ عَلَی العُلَماءِ اَلّا یَقارّوا عَلیٰ کِظَّةِ ظالِمٍ وَ لا سَغَبِ مَظلوم; it expresses the duty of scholars not to tolerate the hunger of the hungry and the satiation of the oppressors. To endure it. That is justice.

Education and public training in the country have goals, they seek goals, what are these goals? These goals are exactly the same as the goals of the Islamic system; these [goals] must exist in education and training; they must be taken into account. We educate students, pupils, and learners with a goal, towards an ideal; this goal is the same goal for which the Islamic system was established. The Islamic system seeks to build a world and society that is advanced, with lofty values, religiously committed, adhering to divine laws, with an endless horizon of vision. The human outlook of those living in the Islamic community and Islamic system has no limitations for the future, in any direction; not only in spiritual directions, but also in material and scientific directions, there are no limitations; the horizon of vision is much further and beyond what the lofty-minded scholars, for example, consider for scientific issues; in the Islamic community, the horizon of vision has a much broader scope.

The student must find his place in this great caravan that is moving towards progress in the Islamic community over these twelve years; he must know what role he plays in this great collection, in this great movement? Where is his place? What is his status? He must define a role for himself; we must educate our children in this way. The student is educated in school by you; he must be instilled with a sense of responsibility; he must be nurtured with a spirit of free-thinking; he must be raised to be truthful; he must be raised to be ambitious; brave, self-sacrificing, chaste, and God-conscious; the generation being educated under your care must be raised with these qualities; this is their horizon of vision.

Well, in this arena, there is a great war; my dear ones, intelligent, motivated, and faithful youth who have gathered in this collection, and all those who wish to play a role in education and training! Take this war seriously; there is currently a war. Some want to sing lullabies so that we fall asleep and do not understand what the enemy is doing. In the realm of educating noble humans, humans with ambition, humans who are courageous and purposeful - in this important education, this great task - a war is underway; some want the opposite of this to happen and for the faithful, Muslim, Iranian youth not to be nurtured with these qualities. They are trying through various means. This issue of identity that I repeatedly emphasize is related to this matter. Our student must grow and be educated with a sense of national identity and advance. When a young person feels identity, he will avoid deviation, betrayal, weakness, and laziness. Most of the problems that sometimes arise are due to the lack of that true sense of identity, the sense of national identity in a person. When there is no sense of identity, others can pull him this way and that:

He pulls me from every side like a straw The whispers of this and that, the breath of my own self

There are feelings, there are instincts, there are inner motivations, there is the devil of our desires; from the outside, many hands pull us this way and that; what prevents us from deviating is our adherence, our sense of identity; this is how you must educate the youth; you must educate them.

Fortunately, we have role models in our living environment today, we have outstanding role models. We are no longer lacking in role models that we have to go after some historical foreign figure; today, in our lives, we have role models right before our eyes. Our nuclear martyrs are among the great role models; Martyr Chamran is a role model; Martyr Chamran was a true scholar; he was a scholar, educated and learned, but he was also a true fighter, a true Mojahedin in the real sense; Martyr Avini is a role model; Martyr Hajji is a role model. Look; we have various types of role models at our disposal. This dear brother expressed it very well here; he said my role model was my first-grade teacher, but now my role model is Hajji; yes, we have these role models; standing with courage, bravery, a sense of responsibility, and dignity against the enemy to help achieve the lofty goals of their community and system; not for themselves. They did not perish in a personal quarrel; Martyr Shahriari and Martyr Ali-Mohammadi and Ahmad Roushan moved forward in matters for the pride and dignity of the nation; they are role models; we have these dear role models in our society, right before our eyes, in our time.

Another point is the issue of beneficial knowledge. In the education and training of the country, useful knowledge must be pursued. When you say, "Education and training must be reformed," one of the important reformative materials is that the knowledge taught here must be useful knowledge; this young person must be able to use this knowledge to improve his life and that of his community and those around him; beneficial knowledge is this. Beneficial knowledge is that which brings us closer to our goals, makes our movement easier, and advances us; this is beneficial knowledge. Those things that create a spirit of movement in us, that blossom us, that actualize our capacities, these are beneficial knowledge. Of course, one of the beneficial sciences is awareness of national experiences and the glories of the country and the lessons and teachings of history, which is also among the beneficial sciences. Beneficial knowledge is that which blossoms our capacities; this is another point.

Regarding the education system; friends mentioned, in the session we had before this session, both friends mentioned and I also said that the education system is one of the few first-rate systems in the advancement of the country and the needs of the country; the education system is very important. This part of the duties of education and training is the responsibility of the education system; we cannot view the education system like an ordinary office among other offices; this is a special issue.

Well, the education system has an opportunity that no other system has; this opportunity is those twelve years; those twelve years that our children, our adolescents go through in elementary and high school; this is in the hands of the education system; no other system has such a precious opportunity; this opportunity is the best opportunity for transferring values and correctly and comprehensively conveying our revolutionary and national ideals; this opportunity is unique for institutionalizing national identity in our children and the future men and women; this is in the hands of the education system. Both thought is formed in these twelve years, and motivation is formed; the direction of life - motivations, ideals, orientations - is shaped in our youth and adolescents, in these twelve years, thanks to being present in classrooms and listening to teachers and being in the school environment. See how important this is; that is, the future of the country is related to these twelve years of our youth.

Well, the education system needs renewal; you also shouted, saying it must be reformed. Yes, it certainly needs renewal; because it is both worn out, and even the day it was newly established, it had defects. In our education system, even the day it was new and not yet worn out and damaged, there were fundamental defects that have remained until today. The means of this transformation, first and foremost, is the "Transformation Document"; this transformation document is ready. The esteemed minister referred to the efforts they are making for this work; in my opinion, these efforts are among the most essential tasks. As I have been informed, less than ten percent of the possibility of realizing this document and its content has been realized; while several years have passed since the approval of this document. Very little work has been done in this regard; work must be done. The document is a written piece of paper; it must be realized. Of course, preparing this document was a vital necessity that was accomplished, and the content of the document, as education experts have expressed - many of whom were involved in preparing this document - as they stated, the document is of a very high level in terms of specialization and professionalism; it is very solid, precise, and desirable; well, it must be realized. What I demand and expect from the education system is that you schedule a timeline; specify a time and say by what time this document will be fully realized. Of course, this is a difficult task, but this difficult task must be done; various departments must all help the education system; everyone must help. One part relates to this Farhangian University and the various teacher training institutions - which I will now mention - and one part also relates to the education system itself; they must prepare the software and hardware prerequisites for this work; they must specify the timeline, and this work, God willing, will be done realistically; this is the most important action in the public education and training of the country.

One of the tasks that must be done is that the body of the education system must become familiar with this transformation document. As I have been informed, most of the body of the education system has only heard the name of this document; they do not know what this document is; introduce this document appropriately, familiarize them, let them see it, read it, and know it; this alone will help this document to be realized, because the realization of the document is not possible without the help of the body of the education system. Those who must practically implement and realize the document are the body of the education system; familiarize them.

Another point regarding the education system is the issue of the educational assistant, which I have emphasized in previous periods and also in this period; you must take this issue seriously. Well, the esteemed minister is motivated, energetic, and ready to work; this work must be taken seriously. The issue of the educational assistant in the education system is a very important matter; nurturing is very important, and the ways of nurturing are also very important scientific ways.

The next issue regarding education and training is the attention to gifted and elite students; well, there are discussions; responsible officials must look at this issue comprehensively. The issue of Sempaad or any other method must be examined professionally, considering various aspects; they must ensure that no discrimination arises, no problems arise, no brokerage occurs, and the issue of gifted students is pursued in the true sense of the word.

And the last issue in this section of my remarks is the issue of the 2030 deviation document. Last year, I officially and firmly prohibited the implementation of this work; the officials of the education system welcomed it and pursued it; however, I have heard that in various sectors, components of the 2030 document are being realized; this means that the most important issue of the country is in the hands of others. Besides the content of 2030 - which undoubtedly contains deviant issues, there is no doubt about that - even if all of it were correct, it would not make sense for a country like Iran, with this culture, with this history, with this powerful and dear Islamic system, to take its educational programs and its education document from others who have sat down and prepared something with various motives - whether political motives or other corrupt motives - this makes no sense.

Regarding the issue of Farhangian University and the issue of teacher training; today, the most important need of the country's education system is the teacher; the most important need is the teacher. This university and Shahid Rajaei University and any place where teacher training applies must develop both quantitatively and qualitatively. The gentlemen said, and I am also aware that in four years, a large number of teachers - a significant number - will retire, and those who are delivered from these universities, namely Farhangian University and Shahid Rajaei University, will be much fewer than the number leaving the education system; this is a crisis for the education system; such an event must not happen. Of course, it is said that they will bring people from outside, but that is an emergency action and in cases of necessity, it is certainly not a problem; fundamentally, it is not a correct action; teaching is a technical profession, it is an artistic job; it requires learning; here you learn to teach; the one who studied in some other university does not have the knowledge you learned here; how can he teach? Teacher training centers - the most important of which is currently Farhangian University - are the central pivot of the country's education system, and there has been negligence regarding this university. According to what I know and have been informed, this university is lacking in human resources - teachers, professors - it is also lacking in budget, and it is lacking in educational space. The Ministry of Science, the Management Organization, the Employment Organization, each must cooperate in some way, help; these problems must be resolved. Of course, friends mentioned this here, and they also said in that previous session that they have expectations from me; I am ready, and whatever I can do and is within my reach, I will certainly do it; because I consider this issue to be among the first-rate issues of the country.

The quota for hiring faculty must be increased, which is the responsibility of the Employment Organization. The professors here must also be among the most distinguished in terms of intellectual and scientific qualities; they must be religious; they must have a high level of knowledge; they must have a revolutionary spirit; they must conform to the criteria of the transformation document; it is not possible for us to formulate the transformation document and pursue its realization, but in the place that is the most fundamental and central center of education and training, it is far from the qualities and criteria and standards of the transformation document; this is impossible. The selection committees in this regard must not be negligent; they must select distinguished professors, good professors, and of course full-time professors. And I recommend all the professors here and also the students to become familiar with the works of our dear martyr, Martyr Motahhari - whose name is intertwined with Teacher's Day - as much as you can. Many years have passed since the blessed life of Martyr Motahhari, but his pure blood and martyrdom are the signature of his words; he was honest, he spoke the truth, he was thoughtful and talented, and thanks be to God, he left a good legacy that is still in use today. Well, we have discussed the issues regarding education and training and regarding Farhangian University.

Two more brief issues must be mentioned: one is the issue of America, and the other is the issue of the JCPOA. Well, last night you heard, the President of America made some remarks, he made silly and trivial remarks; there were probably more than ten lies in his words; he spoke [about] their exit from the JCPOA, and he threatened the Iranian nation and the Islamic Republic: "We will do this, we will do that, we will do this," to which I say on behalf of the Iranian nation: Mr. Trump! You are mistaken.

Pay close attention, take heed! I want you young people and all those who will hear this later to pay close attention, to be precise; because one of the important critiques of today is the issue of America, which is a serious issue. America is our enemy; this enmity is not with this humble servant or with the leaders of the system, but with the entire Islamic system that today the Iranian nation has accepted and is moving in its path; this enmity is of such a nature. It is not specific to this person; the American government and system have been hostile to the Islamic Republic since its inception; they have been bad and have sought to overthrow it. Even the previous government - the Obama administration - which in letters to me and in statements said that they were not seeking to overthrow, were lying; they too were seeking to overthrow the Islamic Republic; the issue of the JCPOA and these talks are just an excuse. You see, when the issue of nuclear energy and sanctions began, there were those among the prominent figures of this country and high-ranking officials who came to me and said, "Why are you so adamant about this nuclear issue? Why are you so insistent? Well, the Americans are being difficult, they are being malicious, they are being wicked; let it go, let us make it easy for ourselves"; they said this to me. Of course, this was a wrong statement because the nuclear issue is a need of the country; I have said this many times; we will need to have twenty thousand megawatts of nuclear power in a few years; this is the calculation of the relevant officials of the country; we need this; well, where will we get it from? The day we need it, they will say you have oil today; well, this oil is not eternal; the day this oil is not available or is not as abundant, then we must start looking for nuclear energy and nuclear capabilities? Should we start then? The generations of that day will curse us for not starting when we should have started? It was wrong to say, "What do we need it for?"; yes, we need it. Now, even if we did not need it; I told them that the issue of American criticism and the sanctions they impose on us and the enmity they have towards us is not related to nuclear energy; this is an excuse; if we set this aside, they will find another excuse and continue their enmity. They said, "No, this is not the case"; now you have seen that it is indeed the case. We accepted the nuclear issue in the JCPOA in a way that our opponents wanted, but the enmity did not cease; they raise the issue of our presence in the Middle East, they raise the issue of missiles. If tomorrow you announce that we will no longer produce missiles or that we will not produce missiles with a range greater than a certain amount, this issue will also not end, but another issue will arise. The conflict is fundamental; they oppose the Islamic Republic.

Well, now why do they oppose the Islamic Republic? The reason for the opposition to the Islamic Republic is that the Islamic Republic has cut off the American domination from the country; this is the whole issue. The Americans had complete control over a country with wealth, with resources, and in a sensitive geographical position like Iran; the revolution and the Islamic Republic came and cut off their hands; they want to destroy the revolution and the Islamic Republic because of this; they want to regain control; just as they unfortunately have control over many countries in the region. They want to give orders, "You must do this" and the ruler of a certain country in this sensitive region must accept their orders and comply! This is what they want. Pay attention! These are important points; the issue is not a matter of emotions; the issue is not that a person suddenly reacts due to a sudden incident; the issue is fundamental and rooted; they need lackeys; the Islamic Republic has flaunted its dignity in front of them, and they cannot tolerate it. They want rulers who will take their money, use their resources, obey their orders, and whenever they want, they can replace them; just as the British once had this role in the region, one day they brought Reza Khan, and one day for various reasons they wanted to remove him and did so, and placed his son in his place; this is what they want. Unfortunately, in the Persian Gulf countries, in the countries of the West Asian region, this situation exists in many of these countries; they are submissive and humble before America; what can one say: like a humble servant!

Just a few days ago, Trump wrote a letter to the leaders of the Persian Gulf countries - we managed to obtain and see this letter - and in this letter, he tells them that you all must unite, you must do this, you must do that, I have spent seven trillion dollars here for you. Fool! You spent seven trillion dollars for them! You spent seven trillion dollars to dominate Iraq, to dominate Syria; well, you could not; to hell with you! He says you must do this, you must do that; in his sentences, there is "must"! He has written and sent this letter to all these leaders. They want to say "must" to the Islamic Republic as well; since they cannot, they are enemies and want to remove it; this is the conflict. The Iranian nation is an independent nation, a dear nation. The past rulers of this nation - the kings of the Qajar and Pahlavi eras - took away the dignity of this nation, humiliated this nation, kept it backward, and forced it under the yoke of powers; thus, they became accustomed and wish that this situation had occurred. Now Islam - the Islamic Republic, the Islamic system, the Islamic revolution - has restored this nation to its dignity, this nation stands firm, and they cannot tolerate it; the conflict is over this. They should not think that "Sir, why are you so adamant about this issue"! Some would come to us and say this; may God forgive their shortcomings.

Well, this is the issue of America. Therefore, what has happened, that is, the vile and trivial behaviors of this current President of America, is not contrary to our expectations; these are the actions they have always taken; in the previous American administration, it was one way, now it is another; in the time before him - during Bush Jr.'s administration - it was one way; in every period, they have shown their wickedness, their enmity, their malice towards the Iranian nation, and the Iranian nation has stood powerfully against all of this. Many of them have turned to dust, their bodies have become food for worms and ants, but the Islamic Republic, thanks be to God, has stood firm; this man will also turn to dust, become food for worms and ants, and the Islamic Republic will continue to stand. This is regarding America.

But regarding the JCPOA; well, I have repeatedly said from the very beginning, do not trust America! I have said this both in private meetings and in public gatherings; I have emphasized this more in private meetings; I said do not trust them; if you want to make a contract, provide the necessary guarantees, then talk, then make a contract, then sign; do not trust their words. One of the things I particularly emphasized at that time was that I said we accept this contract under these conditions - there were several conditions - one of the conditions was that I said the then President of America must write and sign that the sanctions have been lifted; this was among our conditions, among my conditions; well, the esteemed officials worked hard, made efforts, sweated, but they could not, and this did not happen, and the result is what you are witnessing: two years, two and a half years have passed, we have fulfilled all our commitments, this fool comes out and says I do not accept it and I am leaving and I will do this and that.

Now it is said that we want to continue the JCPOA with these three European countries; I do not trust these three countries either. I say do not trust them either; if you want to make a contract, obtain guarantees - real guarantees, practical guarantees - otherwise tomorrow they will do the same thing that America did, but in a different way. Political and diplomatic methods are special methods; sometimes they smile and while smiling, they stab a dagger into a person's heart; this is diplomacy; with a pleasant demeanor, with praise and flattery, saying, "Yes, you are very good, you are great, we know you will not break the contract"! If you can obtain guarantees from them in such a way that trust can be established, well, there is no problem, continue your movement; if you cannot obtain such a definitive guarantee - which I find very unlikely that you will be able to obtain guarantees - then it will not be possible to proceed in this manner.

The issue is very sensitive. Today, the officials of the country are facing a great test; will they maintain the dignity and authority of this dear nation or not? The dignity of this nation must be secured, the interests of the nation must be secured in the true sense of the word, which fortunately the officials have also emphasized the importance of preserving national interests and said that our interests must be secured; yes, they must be secured, but to secure interests, do not trust the words of such and such president and such and such prime minister and such and such chancellor; their words have no credibility; today they say one thing, tomorrow they act differently; they have no scruples, they do not feel ashamed at all. Unfortunately, in the world of diplomacy, what is absent is human ethics; especially these Westerners, Europeans, who have not even sniffed ethics in various diplomatic relations and the like; they only think and act according to their own interests and plot. We must deal with them carefully, we must act wisely. Therefore, the dignity of the nation must be preserved, the interests of the nation must be preserved; it must be preserved in the true sense of the word, and trust must not be placed.

And I tell you: my dear ones, my youth, my children! I see the future belonging to you; I have no doubt that the future of this country will be much better than today, in the direction of the Islamic system and in the direction of Islam and Islamic values. God willing, may God preserve this readiness in you, grant you and us steadfastness, and may God willing, grant us all a good end and gather us with those we love - our dear martyrs, our great Imam - in this world and the hereafter, and may He be pleased with the holy heart of the Awaited One.

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