Statements in Meeting with Thousands of Teachers from Across the Country

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

I extend a warm welcome to dear brothers and sisters, teachers and officials of the esteemed and sensitive profession of education and training across the country. I take this opportunity to send greetings and salutations to all teachers in the farthest corners of the country and humbly beseech the Almighty God to bless this great endeavor of education and training that rests upon your shoulders, and may it, God willing, be a source of goodness and blessings for our dear nation.

We must honor the memory of our dear martyr, the distinguished teacher and ever-living and steadfast figure, the late martyr Motahhari. I must say that placing Teacher's Day on the anniversary of martyr Motahhari's martyrdom has a symbolic and profound meaning; for truly, the late martyr Motahhari was a great and distinguished human being. His life was marked by sincere, faithful, and scholarly efforts, accompanied by a deep sense of pain and complete insight in the field of knowledge, understanding, and culture. The Almighty God rewarded this great man, granted him a reward, and bestowed martyrdom upon him; in fact, He kept him alive; "Nay, they are alive with their Lord".

A graduate of the Qom seminary, when he comes with the burden of knowledge and understanding that he has deeply acquired, becomes a source of blessings in the realm of culture and public education and the youth.

Let me say here - I have previously mentioned in the seminary - that the scholars and distinguished figures of the seminary are the capable and worthy elements who can play a role in the vast system of education and training; and no institution is more important than education and training. This means that any material, spiritual, and human investment made in education and training is worthwhile. Education and training is the source of life for society; both for today and for the future of society.

Now, we come to the role of the teacher, which is you. The teacher is someone who prepares the human resources for managing and sustaining the life of the country and society in the not-so-distant future. In the blink of an eye, these young people, your students, will be the ones carrying the responsibilities of this society; at every level they may be. Among them, the distinguished and great men will emerge; among them, the Mojahedin (the fighters) of the path of truth, the self-sacrificing and devoted individuals in the pursuit of divine goals will arise; among them, capable hands will emerge that will turn the wheels of the country's economy and organize the culture of the country; these very children who are in your classroom today. You want to bring them out of the water. You want to nurture them so that tomorrow, wherever they find themselves, they can work well, work correctly, be a source of progress, and not a source of regression and corruption. See how important this is.

I have said; your influence as teachers is, in many cases, even greater than that of hereditary traits. Hereditary traits are things that accompany a person, but through practice and secondary habits, one can overcome these traits. This secondary habit training can be imparted by the teacher to their student. That is, you can truly create the Islamic model of a human being; you can create the human resources of the Islamic Republic; this is the role of the teacher. These are not mere compliments; these are truths that exist.

One of our essential tasks is that all members of our nation, from young to old, from high-ranking officials to ordinary people, should appreciate the teacher, understand the importance of the teacher, and recognize the dignity of the teacher; this is one of the very fundamental tasks. The media must play a role, and officials must play a role. It should not be held as a mere formality; it should be understood. People like myself must understand how important the role of this man or woman is who spends their life in the classroom for the education of our youth, our children, our offspring. Of course, the teacher themselves must also correctly understand this role and its importance. This is one of our fundamental and important tasks. Therefore, the value of the teacher, Teacher's Week, Teacher's Day, are very prominent and significant matters.

Everyone must pay attention; the people in one way, the officials in another way, the education system in another way, the government in another way; everyone has a duty towards this defined status of the teacher. Everyone must, God willing, commit to this, take it upon themselves, and fulfill it; in material and spiritual aspects, especially in terms of dignity.

One point is regarding the transformation in education, which we have repeatedly mentioned in these gatherings with you dear teachers and education officials, or in specific sessions with officials. Well, what is the reason for this transformation? After all, one does not transform something without reason. Why do we want to create transformation? The simple reason is that our current education system has not demonstrated the necessary capability for educating our various generations. The primary reason is that this system and this organization are imported; they do not arise from our internal needs. This is one of our major problems. Sometimes the experiences of a nation, the historical passage of a nation's life, lead it to the conclusion that it must educate in this way, train in this way, build houses in this way, behave in this way, manage in this way; this is good. A person should always learn from the experiences of others. We do not mind and it does not shame us to learn from others. What is bad is that we come and implement the models of other nations and cultures wholesale in our own nation and country without considering the requirements and conditions. This has been happening in our country for a hundred years. Those who had good intentions and wanted to advance the country, but did not understand how to advance this country - now those who were mercenaries of foreign intelligence services and governments are aside - thought they should completely become like those foreigners, who said we must become Westernized from head to toe; they said it, and it is in their writings; they made this great mistake; including in our education. Many other things in our country have unfortunately been the same. Our economy, our architecture, our cultural and social life, and many other things have been afflicted by the treachery or misunderstanding of the political elites during the tyrannical eras. Well, thanks be to God, the Islamic Revolution came and changed the course. We moved towards self-awareness, self-knowledge, and self-understanding; however, many of the foundations still remain as they were before; including this issue of education. We must use the experiences of the world - whether from the West or the East; various nations - to enhance the quality of our own model. Our need for transformation arises from this.

This transformation must be based on creating an independent Iranian model that arises from the spirituality and needs of this country; that is, it must truly arise from pure Islam, the Islam we believe in. We must create such a model. The transformation must be directed towards this. What should be the goal of this new model, this new composition and structure for education? The goal is to educate human resources of the Islamic Republic standard. If the Islamic Republic wants to carry the banner of Islam, wants to achieve happiness for itself, wants to prosper in both this world and the hereafter - just as the Quran teaches us that we can prosper in both worlds and this must be done - if it wants to help other nations, that "You are the best nation brought forth for mankind", it naturally has needs: it must educate noble, knowledgeable, talented individuals with vibrant creativity, possessing good human ethics, courage, risk-taking ability, entering new fields without any inferiority or superiority complexes, individuals devoted to the Almighty God and relying on divine power, and individuals who are patient, tolerant, gentle, optimistic, and hopeful. Islam has provided all of these in a complete package for all its believers and faithful. We must open this package, use these materials one by one, benefit from them, taste them, and store them within ourselves. The output of education must be such human beings. Narrow-minded individuals, pessimistic individuals, hopeless individuals, depressed individuals, unpious individuals, and those with tainted character cannot advance societies and bring happiness to nations; naturally, they cannot be models either. The transformation in education is directed towards this.

All the points that the honorable minister mentioned are good works - of course, they are not all at the same level; some are important and fundamental works, while others are secondary works - these must be done; however, you must specify the direction, know what you want to do. A comprehensive plan for transformation must be in our hands. Based on this comprehensive plan, we will create various components, some sooner, some later. You envision the design of a complete, beautiful, and sturdy building on a large plot of land in a suitable location; you know what you want to do. Now you start from one corner. Sometimes you build one part of the building here, sometimes another part there. A person looking at it may not understand what will come out; but you, who have the plan in your mind, know what you are doing. Each part is a provider of a section of that comprehensive plan. This is when you have a comprehensive plan. If there is no comprehensive plan, if there is no overarching view in this transformation, the works may turn out to be contradictory; they may be repetitive, redundant, and create significant deficiencies. Therefore, having an overarching view and a comprehensive plan is the first condition.

One of the things that must be observed in this comprehensive plan is the issue of the teacher. Of course, good works have been done regarding textbooks - we are in the process of some good works that have been done in textbooks; of course, there are also works that must be done, which, God willing, will be done - but the teacher will teach the book. If the teacher is knowledgeable, caring, thoughtful, and innovative, even if the book is incomplete, they will complete the material. If the teacher is incapable, hopeless, unmotivated, and impatient, and teaches just to get through it, then even if the book is good, it is uncertain that the student will learn anything worthwhile. Thus, the teacher is important. The teacher is the axis.

Regarding the issue of teacher training, the issue of retraining, the continuity of education and various training courses for teachers, these are very good works and must be done. Of course, you dear teachers have a role in demonstrating the adequate and necessary model for teaching in schools. In any case, these are our needs and must be done. Government agencies must look at this large and important collection with this perspective. Our tomorrow depends on today’s education. The more investment is made here, certainly the returns will be much greater in their time than the amount of material and spiritual investment made. Our country needs good education. Why? Because the work that this nation has undertaken and started is a great task.

My dear ones! Let us believe that the movement that this strong, brave, and faithful nation created under the leadership of our dear Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) is unparalleled throughout history - not just in our time. A great work was done, a significant task was accomplished. You and I, who are part of this work and each of us, to the extent of our ability, capacity, and contribution, are making a movement, cannot fully evaluate this great movement; unless one steps outside of these dimensions; thinks, compares, sees the state of the world; observes the great global and human movements; sees the various motivations behind different political and social movements; observes the role of the arrogant powers - the same "the great criminals who plot therein" mentioned in the Quran - sees the role of destructive policies in seizing the world and squeezing humanity in their bloody and iron claws for their own specific interests; then sees what a tremendous movement this was. The movement of a nation for the revival of Islamic values - which are the most authentic human values - in a world where all the forces of power and might are employed against these values was a very significant task, a very great work.

It is true that a nation entered the arena with all its power, accomplished a great task, and established a system, but it was also lonely. This nation is still lonely. This nation accomplished this work in loneliness, traversed this difficult path alone; it did not tire, did not become disheartened, did not become depressed, did not lose hope, did not become afraid; it moved forward. Today, the effects of its work, the spread of this great movement and its great motivation are gradually becoming noticeable and visible in the world.

Let me tell you; it is not just that in the countries of North Africa and the region of West Asia where we are currently located, awakening movements have emerged; this awakening movement will reach the heart of Europe. The day will come when these European nations will rise against the politicians and rulers who have completely surrendered them to the cultural and economic policies of America and Zionism. This awakening is inevitable. The movement of the Iranian nation extends and deepens into these matters; it is a great movement.

Well, if you want this movement to continue with the same momentum and behavior and be effective, we must build ourselves. We must be "like pieces of iron"; like pieces of steel. We must strengthen our faith; increase our insight; enhance our awareness; advance our knowledge day by day; cultivate the talents that the Almighty God has placed within us; keep the hand of unity and solidarity that we have extended firmly; these are necessary.

Thanks be to God, our nation is acting in this way, our nation is progressing well; but if you can properly educate this growing generation, this newly blossomed generation, this movement will advance faster and more vigorously. Rest assured that the Islamic Republic of Iran, by virtue of high aspirations, strong faiths, and the good, faithful, and sincere individuals who, thanks be to God, are abundant in our country, will be able to conquer peaks one after another.

May God's mercy be upon the pioneers of this path, may God's mercy be upon the dear martyrs and the noble and great fighters, may God's mercy be upon the pure spirit of our great Imam who opened this path for us, and may God's mercy be upon all the people of Iran.

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