Excerpt from the Statements of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution in Meeting with Educators and Teachers of Kerman Province

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

First, I extend my greetings and welcome to the dear brothers and sisters, the teachers. Today's session is, in a sense, a working session; and in another sense, it is a symbolic session. It is symbolic in that our gathering with teachers each year symbolizes the respect that the Islamic system holds for the teaching profession in society. It is a working session in that today this meeting pertains to you, and you must speak; and this is the first session of this kind that we are holding. We have had meetings with professors and students where instead of me speaking, individuals from the audience would speak; which has a very good impact, as the issues of concern are expressed from the perspective of knowledgeable individuals from a particular group. Such sessions are also broadcasted on television; both officials and the public hear them; and it is very beneficial for me as well. We have not had such a session with teachers until now. Perhaps a week or two ago, a teacher - I do not know whether by letter or message - expressed concern about why such a session is not held for teachers. We saw that this was a valid point; and coincidentally, this session came about. We had not planned in advance for this session to be held in Kerman; but when this trip came up, I scheduled my annual meeting with teachers - which coincides with Teacher's Week - here, and this session was formed; therefore, this session belongs to you.

I will initially say a few sentences, and then the friends will manage the session, and you will express your thoughts.

The fact that our meeting with teachers is being held in Kerman seems to me to be a strange coincidence; because I have a special connection with Kerman in terms of education and training. Of course, my connection with the people of Kerman has been extensive in various fields; many of my close friends during the struggle and my seminary years were from Kerman - such as Mr. Hashemi Rafsanjani, Mr. Hojjati Kermani, Mr. Bahonar, and some others - I also had Kermani friends who were not students, with whom I had a lot of affection - like the late Eslamiyat and some others - but in the field of education and training, my connection with Kerman is older than all of these. The elementary school I attended in Mashhad had a teacher, the late Mirza Hossein Tadin Kermani. The only religious school in Mashhad was also his school, named "Dar al-Talim Diyanati." I studied under Mr. Tadin for six years in that school. The late Tadin was truly a remarkable man. Not only did I feel this when I was a child, but even during his presidency when he came to visit me in Mashhad, I looked at him again; I saw a dignified, established, respected, and distinguished man. He was both a teacher and a supervisor. With the dignity and authority he possessed, he would walk around the schoolyard with a stick in hand, and of course, sometimes he would punish the children; he punished me once as well. He was a beloved man. Even during my childhood, I and perhaps all the children were fond of him. When I finished my studies at that school, one of my brothers began studying there; but I still had greetings and exchanges with him. At the end of the month, when I went to pay my brother's tuition, I would see him; still with the same dignified and respectable demeanor; not just managing an elementary school. He had a presence in the school. We had a place in the school called the "Qisasgah," where children were punished; I was punished there once! That place was both a place of punishment for children and a kind of garbage dump; meaning children would eat melons or watermelons and had to throw the peels there. When he walked around the school, he would address the children in his Kermani accent: "Whoever eats fruit, throw the peels in the Qisasgah." That voice from those years still resonates in my ears.

In short, I have this close emotional connection with the issue of education and training in Kerman and with the Kermani element from this long-standing background. It is also a strange coincidence that this educational meeting with teachers, with this background, takes place in Kerman.

Of course, after that, I also had connections with some Kermani teachers. In the last years of the 40s and perhaps the early 50s, when I came to Kerman for religious speeches, there were several active, revolutionary, and religious young people around us; one of them was Mr. Mohammad Reza Masharizadeh, who was also a teacher. Therefore, we had a good relationship with the teachers.

Of course, you present here are a sample of the teachers of the province; the teaching community of Kerman is much broader. Since our young and adolescent generation is widespread in society, your role in advancing public and national issues at the provincial level is very important.

In any case, I hold deep respect for the teaching community - both women and men - and I truly consider your role to be significant. My wish is that this feeling and deep understanding exists throughout our society and especially in decision-making bodies, and that they recognize the role of education and teachers.

After presenting the views and opinions of a group of educators and teachers present in the session, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution once again delivered remarks:

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

In my opinion, it was a very good session. Some friends said that we know these things and have come to hear your words. I say no; it is not enough for teachers to know these things. These are the words of teachers that friends are expressing. These words will be reflected; both for the officials and for the people. Hearing these words is important for me as well; we hope it will be beneficial and that we can make them a source of effect.

Ten friends spoke. I should also mention in passing that many of the brothers and sisters present in the session have things they want to say. Of course, these words may be important, or they may not be; but they themselves think they should express these words; but they do not find the opportunity. Meanwhile, if all friends are to speak, a one or two-hour session is not enough; we would need to hold a session of thirty-five or six hours to listen and take notes; which is also not feasible. Therefore, if the words are truly necessary, write them down; I say they should be reviewed.

And as for what the dear teachers have said. The realization of some of these is gradual. The status of teachers - which some brothers mentioned and is very important - cannot be achieved through circulars and orders; these are not decrees. The status of teachers comes into being through a gradual process; provided that there is a belief in it. The very work we are doing is one of those efforts that is being carried out with the hope that the status of teachers and education in society will rise. Therefore, these are not orders or circulars; they must be secured. A part of it relates to the teachers themselves, a part to the managers of education in the Ministry of Education, and a part, of course, relates to the decision-makers of the country.

The suggestions you made regarding retirees, teachers, salaries, and similar matters should be studied and referred to the government. ... The rights of teachers must be given according to rules and regulations; however, the work we are doing is to facilitate and create the groundwork; we help advance the work. We are not the executors; we tell the Ministry of Education, we recommend to the management and planning organization, we recommend to the honorable President, we recommend to the relevant officials, we recommend to the provincial officials; otherwise, the leadership apparatus does not carry out executive work in this sense at all; it is the duty of the government; and it is indeed correct that the government should carry these out.

Of course, the suggestions made are mostly important and good suggestions; indicating expertise in the field of education. I will pass these suggestions to our own team for review, and God willing, whatever is practical and possible will be carried out with divine assistance.

But what I want to say is that my belief in the issue of education and the matter of teachers is a deep, fundamental, and principled belief; to use the terminology of the Westernized, it is an ideological belief. It is not that we think the current policy necessitates that we strengthen or weaken, assist or promote teachers; no, the matter is that no transformation - whether positive or negative - occurs in society unless the teacher and the education system play a fundamental role in it. If the education community is an active, vibrant, committed community with a sense of responsibility, innovative, knowledgeable, and motivated, it will have a foundational impact at the national level. Of course, political parties and factions always pay special attention to education for short-term goals - for a certain demand, a certain election, a certain selection - these are very trivial matters; these diminish the role of education and teachers and schools.

The formation of the identity of the new generation is in the hands of teachers; meaning even a more prominent role than that of families and parents. You yourselves have school-aged children and see that sometimes the words of the teacher are like divine revelation for the child; they come home, do something or do not do something, or sleep for a while or exercise for a while, or do something else; because the teacher said so. Parents may say these things many times, but they do not have an effect; however, the teacher's words have an effect. In most cases, the teacher's words take precedence over the words of parents in the minds of children and adolescents. This is the role of the teacher. If we want this identity to be well-formed; if we want a generation to emerge that has self-confidence and social discipline; a responsible, capable generation for great tasks, a generation that is innovative, a kind generation without feelings of revenge within the large family of society, a self-sacrificing generation, a hardworking generation, a generation that is frugal and away from extravagance; if we want the general culture of society to move in this direction, the way and key is education. To raise such a generation, education must be prepared and suitable.

Of course, the friends who spoke correctly articulated the view of human resources in education, the view of organization and structure in education, and the type of management; these are very important; securing the livelihood and reducing the concerns of teachers' lives is also one of the necessary conditions; there is no doubt about this; the same suggestions that have been made and the same works that are being carried out must also be pursued, God willing; but I tell you dear teachers - sisters and brothers - that material problems cannot and should not prevent a devout and committed teacher from adhering to their teaching duties. This statement is not an excuse for falling short in the lives of teachers; ultimately, whatever is within the capacity of the government and officials must be done; but from your side - as teachers - I want to say that these problems should not affect your determination, decision, feelings, and motivation regarding this important and perilous profession. They must fulfill their duties, and God willing, they will; but you should also pay attention that the future of the country is in your hands, the large community of teachers. What is important is that this community remains committed to the true meaning of teaching - which is essentially the status of teaching. The status of teaching is not merely that someone is honored and respected and their hand is kissed; the status of teaching means influencing the historical process and cultural demarcation of a nation. If the community of teachers can accomplish this, the status of teaching - in the true sense of the word - will be preserved.

My belief is that education needs a think tank to solve the fundamental issues of this vast sector - as the Westerners say. Decisions in education should not be taken arbitrarily. At one point, part of the education system may feel that sexual education should be provided to young people - blindly imitating the West - suddenly we see that from one corner, writings, books, and pamphlets on this subject are published! Where has this matter been thought out? Where has it been decided? How much should we blindly follow the West?! How much should we follow the failed and unsuccessful experiences of the West without question?! Did they benefit from inciting sexual feelings? They are stuck in this matter. A veil of modesty and protection and innocence from religion and religious teachings has been spread over our young and old; shall we tear this veil with our own hands?! How does this align with any thought or logic? Of course, this does not concern you; it relates to the essence of education; however, I found it useful to mention it in your presence. Or suddenly from a corner, someone has decided that we should teach elementary school children, starting from the first grade - or even preschool - English language; why? When they grow up, anyone who needs it will learn English. How much do the British and American governments have to spend to easily promote their language among a foreign nation? How much trouble do we have in promoting the Persian language in the world? They close our cultural house, they assassinate our cultural figures, they create all sorts of obstacles in front of our cultural diplomacy; why? Because we teach Persian there. But we come and, with our own hands, freely and gratuitously, benefit the owners of this language - which is the means of transferring their culture - by doing this! Of course, I am completely in favor of learning foreign languages; not just one language, but ten languages; what is the problem? However, this should not become part of the culture of society.

Today, there are countries where, unfortunately, their national language is not their official language. Today, the official language of India and Pakistan is English; their administrative language is English; while they also have Hindi, Urdu, and several hundred other languages. In Pakistan, Urdu; and in India, Hindi is the common language; but they are completely neglected. How did a foreign language come to replace the national language of a nation? They enter just like that. The English invested in India to bring the situation to this point. Some African countries have Portuguese or Spanish as their language; they do not pay any attention to their official language; is this good? Is the dominance of a foreign language over a nation good? Language is the backbone of a nation; shall we weaken it like this? Why? Because someone’s taste is this way and they understood it this way! Schools and the children of the people are not places for trial and error; they are not laboratories for us to experiment with this matter and then see if the experience was wrong. We cannot behave this way with the children of the people. Therefore, a think tank - meaning a center of thoughtful and aware individuals - is necessary. There are many other things in education that also need attention.

What I strongly advocate is the same thing that some friends mentioned: the elevation of the educational level of teachers, as much as possible. In this regard, there were also suggestions made - such as research work among teachers - which should be reviewed and followed up.

Most importantly, the issue of piety. If you want your teaching work to be pleasing to God and future generations and to be remembered positively in your duties, raise the children to be devout. Raising devout children is not just the job of the religious education teacher; a math teacher, a physics teacher, a Persian literature teacher can also instill religious thought in the depths of the hearts of their students and audience with a well-placed remark and a single note so that they do not forget it. Sometimes, they can have an even greater impact than the religious education teacher. When the religious education teacher comes to class, it is an obligation, and children and all humans have a sense of reluctance towards obligations. This person wants to come and give an assignment; if they are very eloquent, pleasant, and kind, their words are somewhat acceptable; if they lack these qualities, then nothing. However, a physics teacher, a math teacher, a chemistry teacher, a Persian literature teacher, a history teacher can sometimes, in the course of their talk, with a single well-placed word - truly a single word - have an impact on the spirit of the child and adolescent that makes them genuinely devout and committed. You can do this; both in elementary school, in middle school, and in high school. Raise the children to be devout. Raising devout children is what can build the future of this country. If we want this country to advance industrially, to achieve material progress, to achieve cultural progress, to attain the first rank in the region - as stated in the vision document - this is possible under the auspices of religious motivation and faith. When there is faith, a person moves forward with faith and endures all hardships.

During the struggle, sometimes when I was under great pressure in my cell, I felt sorry for the communist children; I said because they have no God. When the situation becomes very tight for us, we confide in God; we express our feelings and shed a tear and ask for something, and a hope shines in our hearts; but they do not have that. When a person has God, they have hope and a bright horizon.

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