Statements in Meeting with a Group of Teachers Nationwide on Teacher's Week

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

Welcome, dear brothers and sisters; esteemed teachers of the children and youth of this nation. It is necessary at the outset of my remarks to pay tribute and honor the memory of our esteemed martyr, Martyr Motahhari; for he was a teacher; a teacher for all levels, with a profound and lasting impact. The validity of his actions was also signed with his blood. The name of this great man is inscribed on the memorial honoring the teachers of the country, and this is a commendable act; may God's mercy be upon him.

The main purpose of this gathering is to express our respect for you dear teachers. There are professions in the fields of education, training, and teaching, as well as in organization, structure, content, and other matters; which we have discussed on various occasions and will continue to do so. The annual meeting on Teacher's Day that we have established is to demonstrate, prove, and declare that we hold a prominent status and high esteem for the position of the teacher; the truth of the matter is this, and it is indeed deserving.

What gives value to the teacher includes several factors; one of these is that the raw material in the hands of the teacher, which he seeks to bring to its final product through his work and effort, is not an inanimate substance; it is a human being. This is very important. At one time, a person transforms a solid material into a desirable product through his effort, creativity, sweating, and hours spent; which is valuable in its own right. At another time, the material in our hands is a human being, with his talents, emotions, feelings, and the numerous capacities that exist within a human. This adolescent may become someone like our esteemed Imam Khomeini (may his soul be sanctified) tomorrow, he may become a social reformer, he may become a distinguished scholar, or he may become a righteous and noble human being. All these potentials exist within the group of adolescents and children entrusted to the teacher. We want to actualize this potential; see how important this work is. My address is primarily to the general public, to various strata of our society; they should recognize the value of the teacher and acknowledge the status of the teacher.

The esteemed teacher himself should correctly recognize the importance of his position and the significance of his responsibility and mission, and appreciate his own worth; he should know that if this work is done with proper determination, with good intention, with divine purpose, and with appropriate effort, how much added value it creates for society. This added value is not an ordinary and conventional thing; it is extraordinary. The education of a noble, knowledgeable, capable, and righteous human being, see how important that is. Among all the people who are under the teachers' guidance, sometimes one individual may transform the world. If this child is not properly educated, he may turn out to be a Hitler, a Genghis; that is the issue. The importance of the teacher's work, the high value of his movement, his efforts, his compassion, his correct thinking, and his proper actions become evident in this way.

And also, my address is to the entire education system and the organization of education; these teachers work with the organization of this system, they operate according to its regulations, and they teach according to its programs. Therefore, both the general public, the teachers themselves, and the relevant organization should not forget the position of the teacher. The teacher is the producer, the worker, the skilled hand that transforms the finest products of creation, the highest quality raw materials, into the best final product that can be utilized.

Thus, we have the right to say that this annual gathering we hold here is to express our respect for the teachers. We want to convey that we recognize this high rank and this esteemed status for you teachers. If the teacher acts well, correctly, wisely, and compassionately, in our view, all the problems of society will be resolved. Not that we want to say that the effective factors in educating our youth do not exist outside the school environment; indeed, families are influential, media are influential, and the social atmosphere is influential - there is no doubt about that - but the main builder, the primary skilled hand that can create a solid structure that these various factors cannot fundamentally affect, is the teacher's hand. This is the value of the teacher.

I want to tell you; before God Almighty, this value creates numerous good deeds. That is, when you are in the classroom and in the educational environment, and you face this adolescent and this child, know that the recorders of deeds, the noble scribes of God, write down every moment of your work as a good deed. How cost-effective it is for a person’s work, his life, his profession to be something that can be worshiped at every moment.

Of course, alongside this high importance that I have mentioned, there is another point that also demonstrates the significance of this work, and that is the effort that the teacher imposes upon himself. In the classroom and educational environment, teachers face children, adolescents, with various morals, with different feelings, and with youthful emotions; they must endure these, be patient; this also elevates the value of the work. Therefore, Teacher's Day is a blessed day; God willing, it will be a blessing for all teachers, and for the Iranian nation as well.

Another point relates to education. Education is a comprehensive national organization. One of the opportunities available to the country and the revolution is this opportunity of the education organization. You officials and leaders of education have a multi-million organization at your disposal that is spread throughout this vast body like a network of nerves; like the blood vessels that circulate in the human body. This organization extends to the depths of cities and villages. Fortunately, especially after the revolution, there may not be a point in the country where education is not present. Education is a vast organization; we do not have such a large, comprehensive organization that encompasses everyone. People willingly, eagerly, and with requests, entrust their children to this organization.

This organization is committed to great tasks; this opportunity it has increases its responsibility. I want to emphasize this point of "increased responsibility." As the honorable minister recently pointed out and I am also aware, good efforts are being made at the ministry level; they spend time, work, hold numerous meetings, collaborate, and exchange ideas; these are very valuable, and we appreciate the efforts being made; however, be aware that the greatness of the work is such that the more we strive, we should not convince ourselves and say, well, our work is done.

We have previously discussed fundamental transformation; for a long time, I have repeated this in meetings with teachers, with cultural officials, with the Supreme Council of Cultural Revolution, and others, and fortunately, it has reached a conclusion; meaning that a document for fundamental transformation has been prepared and approved. Today, education has a written document that determines the method of fundamental transformation in education. Very well, part of this work has been accomplished. However, this document is like a doctor's prescription. If we visit the doctor, pay for the examination, and the doctor conducts a complete examination and writes a prescription for us, and we put it in our pocket, go home, and think it is all done, this is no different from not going to the doctor at all; except that we spent some money and took a trip. The medicine must be obtained, the medication must be consumed. This prescription states what medicine, how much, and when it should be taken. This work must be done; if we do not do it, going to the doctor and getting a prescription is as if nothing happened. Well, now we have the document for fundamental transformation in education; this is the prescription; this prescription needs to be precisely planned based on each section of this document; because the discussion is about fundamental transformation; it is not about superficial transformation.

The new form of our education was a gift, an import, there were goals behind it. Well, we acted in this way for years. Ultimately, even if it was indigenous, if it emerged from within, after years, one encounters a problem; hence, a renovation is necessary. Therefore, this fundamental transformation is a necessary task. If we want fundamental transformation in education to take place; that is, the money you spend, the time you invest, all the teachers you send throughout the country to schools and to students, if we want these to have multiple effects and be utilized optimally, this transformation must occur. This transformation requires planning. Each step of this transformation document must be planned.

There must be a roadmap. It should not be that today a certain official, a minister, a manager makes a decision in a section, and then tomorrow someone comes and changes it according to their preference. This will waste the time and resources of the country. This is a fundamental point. A solid and precise plan must be made for this fundamental transformation; there must be a roadmap available; this must be accepted by all, confirmed by all, acknowledged by all, and guaranteed that education will follow this plan until the end of the road, until the end of the line.

Here, there is a second point, and that is the issue of not abandoning the work; which is also related to this first point. The work should not be abandoned. The work must be pursued until the final result is achieved; otherwise, we start a task, make some noise, some may be pleased, or praise, or criticize, then after a while passes, our fire cools down, we become indifferent, and as a result, the work is not pursued; in this case, the essence of the work will be harmed. I say this for the managers; senior managers, ministry managers, provincial managers, city managers, and center managers.

Well, the issue of books is important, the issue of planning is important, the issue of regulations is important, and the issue of the teacher is the most important of all. If our teachers need training to work better, if they need to attend courses, if they need to undergo training - these are among the primary tasks, among the main tasks - these must be done.

From all these points, I want to conclude the importance of education. Truly, if one wants to categorize the tasks of the country, these various sections and parts of the country, and determine their importance, education ranks at the top. Our youth depend on education, our ethics depend on education. Some lament why we are not advancing morally. Of course, this is true; we also agree that we must advance in the moral realm; however, one of the conditions for this is that we must have role models for our youth. Some, through their behaviors, their actions, their statements, become bad role models for our youth. Role modeling is one of the most fundamental tasks. We have many good role models. There are so many good youths, so many radiant figures - leaving aside history - we have so many in our time that just by introducing each of them - introducing in the sense of recognizing - we can place a prominent figure and a role model before our youth. These were youths who surpassed their predecessors; youths who sat at the feet of me and my peers, but advanced a hundred steps ahead of us; we made promises, they acted; we taught, they acted; but we ourselves did not act. How many of these youths, how many of these martyrs were those who learned something from us, but they became better than us, ahead of us, brought more honor to the country, gained more honor before God; "because you made a promise and he fulfilled it"; we made the promise, he acted. We have so many good youths; they should be brought forth one by one and placed before the youth of the present generation; their zeal, their determination, their sincerity, their integrity, their sacrifices, their lofty insight, their good behavior with people, with peers, with parents, with family, with friends, should be placed before the eyes of the youth of today; this itself is educational.

In any case, we have many tasks. In education, in the propaganda apparatus, in the media, in government agencies, in those dressed in my attire, we have much work to do, much work must be done. We are responsible. Our shoulders must bend under the weight of responsibility. We must accept responsibility. We must work. Everyone must work.

I want to say a word regarding the elections. One of the tasks is the elections the day after tomorrow. The Iranian nation has acted wisely, at the necessary moment, carrying out the necessary work over these thirty-three years. Before the victory of the revolution, it was the same, and this led to the victory of the revolution. During these thirty-three years, the Iranian nation has acted in this way, and whenever this awareness has been greater, this timely opportunism has been more on point, the Iranian nation has achieved valuable and significant accomplishments; one of them was the recent elections in Esfand, where the Iranian nation acted well, shone brightly; it also had its effect. However, part of the work has been accomplished, and part remains. The Iranian nation, with this bold step that God willing, will be taken on Friday, will go to the ballot boxes and will finalize the work of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, and God willing, will show an even more dazzling brilliance to the world.

The world is a world where nations must show themselves. Nations will not reach anywhere by withdrawing, remaining idle, or looking to this and that. Nations can achieve success through awareness, being in the field, and bringing their capacities to the forefront. Today, the world is like this; it has always been like this; but today this awakening among nations has become more pronounced. A great nation with an ancient history, sometimes with a prominent scientific heritage, when it becomes oblivious to its present, does not enter the field, does not make an effort, suddenly finds itself in the ranks of a backward nation without history or roots.

The Iranian nation is present in the scene, is prepared, fortunately is insightful, is timely; thanks be to God, it also knows the enemy. In these thirty-three years, we have recognized our enemies; we have understood who those are who may sometimes hypocritically and deceitfully pretend to be friends, but are enemies. In order for the Iranian nation to defend its rights in this vast world, to defend its future, to defend the generations to come, it must be awake, aware, and present in the scene; one of the examples of this is the elections, and of course, it has many examples.

We see the horizon clearly. Thanks be to God, I have never felt even for a moment that this bright horizon of hope in my heart has become dark or doubtful. Whenever I look, I feel that the future is bright; and thanks be to God, this is also realized. I want to tell you; by the grace of God, the tomorrow of Islamic Iran, the day when today’s youths come to enter the field of work, will be much better than today.

We hope that God Almighty grants you success, gives our youths the ability, and helps everyone. God willing, we can each fulfill our duties wherever we are.

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