Statements of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution in Meeting with Teachers from Across the Country

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

First of all, I would like to welcome all dear brothers and sisters, teachers and servants of education and training in the country. Every year, on the occasion of "Teacher's Day," we have a meeting with esteemed teachers, but this friendly and relatively lengthy session - which we will have today - is being held here for the first time. I am pleased that today I will spend an hour among the wise, the teachers, and those dedicated to the education and training of the new generation of the country.

We send our greetings to the pure soul of the martyr Motahhari and also to the two prominent martyrs of education - Martyr Rajai and Martyr Bahonar - and to all the dear martyrs. This session is primarily a symbolic gathering to express our respect for teachers. In fact, by expressing our respect to you dear ones who are present here, we are thereby expressing our respect and sincerity to the large community of teachers across the country and telling them that we appreciate your existence, your profession, and your efforts. Secondly, this session is an opportunity for us to hear about educational issues, beyond reports and writings, from the words and hearts of those who are engaged in efforts and service in the depths of this vast ocean.

If there is time left at the end of this session, I will also say a few words. If there is no time left, we will suffice with your statements. In any case, I hope that this session, God willing, will be a blessed one and bring us and the family of education and training in the country one step closer to the heavy task that this large organization has for the future and destiny of this country...

This session has been a very good one so far. The points that friends have raised were expert opinions. You are teachers and are familiar with the moments of educational work; you are aware, and your opinions are a proof for us. I have noted some points from the statements of friends. Of course, some were repetitions of what previous speakers had said, emphasizing the importance of the points that were on your minds. Some of these are the responsibility of the esteemed Minister and the senior managers of the ministry who are present here, and some go beyond the scope of the work and capabilities of the Ministry of Education; that is, they are the responsibility of the government apparatus. What we must emphasize and recommend in this regard, with God's grace, we will do.

What is important and what all of you are paying attention to, and was repeated in the statements of friends, is that education and training is the cornerstone of the country's future. If we have problems in moral and behavioral areas, scientific, national and public self-confidence, and in various other fields, we reach education and training when we dig to the roots of these issues. As some friends have said, education and training is from the centers of delayed returns, but the return of education and training is a vital, determining, and lasting return. If education and training improves and is reformed in a country, it will impact the economy, health and hygiene, the environment, mortality, fertility, beauty and art, various behaviors of people in society with each other, and beyond all these, in religion, philosophy, and ethics. Today, in the world, they teach philosophy to children in a child-friendly manner; that is, something that some of the designers in our country consider meaningless; they think philosophy is only for bearded people and those who have passed a certain age. The modern view of life issues has led the scientific leaders of the world to the point that philosophy must be taught to children from elementary school; of course, in a child-friendly language. I mentioned this as an example to clarify how much education and training can affect the future of a country, which is, of course, clear to you as well.

Now, knowledge-based economy, science-based politics, and science-centered society are among the slogans of today's world. If we want to keep pace with the global movement - let alone play a determining, progressive, and driving role - we have no choice but to take a fundamental and essential look at education and training. The same applies to justice. Some friends referred to the issue of justice in education and training; if we pay attention to the issue of justice in the management of education and training, the result will be that relative justice will be established among the classes and regions of the country in the future. If we do not have a justice-oriented view in education and training today, the result will be that class differences in the future of the country will increase day by day; observe the impacts of education and training!

The non-justice-oriented view is that we have advanced schools equipped with the best facilities in some places, and deprived schools made of tents or similar in other areas; we have distinguished and excellent teachers for some schools, and tired or unqualified teachers for others. This is exactly against the justice-oriented view. What will the result be? The result is that: some of our children today, without any reason (other than that they have money or live in a prosperous area), will have access to the highest education, while others will remain at very low levels, will not progress, and their talents will not grow. Of course, justice does not mean that we treat all talents in the same way; no, talents are ultimately different; we should not let any talent go to waste, and we must devise plans for nurturing talents; there is no doubt about that. However, the criterion should be talents, nothing else. That is justice.

Therefore, the result is that education and training is that fundamental rule, (as architects and builders say) that foundational basis for the lofty structure that we want to have for the future of our country. This is a reality that has kept us decades behind, and these decades coincidentally have been during the flourishing and advancement of science. Without our wanting or having any will, we have been kept behind for decades - from the late Qajar period to the entire Pahlavi era - this is a reality. Today, we must sweat, strive, and expend all our efforts to reduce this gap as much as possible. My belief, based on experience and the views of scientific experts who have commented in these areas, is that "we can"; this is not something impossible. In divine traditions and the laws of creation, there are many shortcuts; the art is to find this shortcut; therefore, we can; however, it requires effort.

With this introduction, what is established is the statement that several of you brothers and sisters mentioned, and I deeply believe in this statement that education and training is our most important productive apparatus; a productive apparatus, not a consuming apparatus. We must invest in education and training. This investment is not just money; money is only part of the investments that must be made; more important than money is thought. The best and most outstanding thoughts must sit down to design for education and training; the philosophy of Islamic education and training must be clear, and based on this philosophy, the future horizon of education and training in the country must be bright; it must be clear what we are pursuing and where we want to go, and based on that, there must be delineation, planning, and paths must be specified; we need this. Education and training must come out of routine; this is the essence of the matter. Of course, the primary audience of this statement is the esteemed Minister and the senior officials of education and training, and then all those who can influence the removal of our education and training from the state of routine and captivity in the frameworks of rigid and obsolete methods.

I would like to mention two or three brief points here; one is the issue of "nurturing." Now, the organization of the nurturing department or nurturing center - in any form - is the responsibility of the esteemed officials themselves. This means that there has been negligence and disregard. The day they eliminated the nurturing departments from various levels, I explicitly opposed this action; they did not tell me that they did not intend to listen to this statement; however, they did not listen. The most important task that must be done today alongside establishing rules is to give importance to the issue of nurturing - in any form - not just because we are Muslims; this is not the only reason. Today, in the advanced Western world in terms of knowledge and technology, the issue of nurturing is among the main foundations in many countries; there are nurturing officials and agents. They give importance to nurturing. Nurturing is not just about becoming religious and deepening faith; it shows its impact on behaviors, interactions, personality growth, strengthening self-confidence, and unleashing the spring of talent. Therefore, the issue of nurturing is an important matter.

Another issue I want to mention as a point is the issue of the "Quran" in education and training. The Quran has truly become neglected in education and training. Some time ago - a few years before this - one of the esteemed clerics, knowledgeable about many promotional issues, told me a point, and I paid attention and found it to be correct and completely consistent with my own experiences. He said that when I encounter intellectuals in predominantly Arab Islamic countries, even those intellectuals who are not religious or devout, I see that they are familiar with the Quran. When I look at the intellectuals of our country (except for religious intellectuals; there are a number of religious intellectuals; they are not few and, thanks be to God, they have increased and are familiar with Islamic concepts and the Quran), many of them are not at all familiar with the Quran and do not know Quranic concepts; however, in Arab countries, they do know. This point was made to me by that gentleman. I found it to be true; we have had connections with these politicians, political elites, and cultural intellectuals of Arab countries for many years, and they use Quranic verses in their statements and speeches; for example, how we use Saadi's poetry in our discussions; all people know "whoever is knowledgeable is capable" from Saadi's poetry and use it in politics, various issues, and intellectual discussions; they use the Quran in the same way; but we do not use it. The reason is that for a long time, the Quran has been neglected in our education and training, especially at the learning ages, or it has not existed at all. In the past - during our childhood - there were some brief mentions, and then gradually it became less prominent and eventually was removed. After the victory of the revolution, it was expected that a significant effort would be made. Some work has been done, but the presence of the Quran in various stages - whether elementary, high school, or middle school - is truly absent. Thought must be given to this. Not in a forced manner, not in a repulsive and distancing manner; rather, in a correct manner.

Today, before coming to this session, a book was brought to me from an Arab country, which is an Arabic dictionary. With good taste, it has included parts of Quranic verses in relation to Arabic literature. Of course, this is the fortune of Arabic speakers that they can use the Quran for their literature; we, of course, cannot; because Persian literature does not have a direct connection with the Quran; they must translate the Quran for us. However, this is a need. Today, fortunately, the Quranic movement in the country is very good; however, it must be institutionalized in education and training.

The role of teachers is significant. One of the things that made me very happy and I saw that a considerable number of friends emphasized it is the teacher training centers. I have also advised previous and current officials regarding teacher training centers; it is very important. We need educated, informed, and skilled teachers in their work. We cannot look at anyone who is unemployed and say, "Come here and teach," especially in fields where they often have no knowledge at all. We give our religious lessons in many schools to those who have no skill or expertise in this work; this is not correct.

In any case, it is a good period. The government is fortunately working and striving. The goals of the revolution and various fundamental issues are being considered. Maximum use must be made. All those who have a hand and skill in the field of education and training must cooperate in this regard. Of course, the esteemed officials must utilize these facilities and capabilities to build a solid foundation for education and training, and considering the transformation that the country is undergoing today and the future we have envisioned for our country (which is also based on this twenty-year outlook and this outlook document is very valuable), we must transform our education and training; we need transformation in education and training.

In any case, it was a good meeting, it was a good day for us, and as I mentioned, although we benefited from the statements of friends, we also presented some points; however, the main goal of this meeting was to express respect to teachers and the large family of education and training, which deserves reverence and respect. We hope, God willing, that your efforts and those of all officials will be accepted by God and will receive the attention of the Blessed Imam and, God willing, will be pleasing to the pure souls of the martyrs and our esteemed Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified).

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