Statements in Meeting with University Professors on the Seventeenth Day of the Blessed Month of Ramadan 1436

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

Welcome, dear brothers and sisters. I have previously stated that the formation of this meeting with our esteemed and honored professors is primarily aimed at honoring the status of the teacher. We want this culture to take root in the country, where respect is given to teachers. This is one of the greatest teachings of Islamic education. Our past scholars have written books about this, narrated hadiths, and quoted verses from the Quran. This is the foremost aspect; it is a symbolic act to honor the teachers. The second and third goals, which are certainly important, are that I want to hear directly from the brothers and sisters who are teachers; and if I have any thoughts, I will share them with them.

Today's meeting was very good; it is regrettable that time was short and we missed out on hearing from the other professors who were supposed to speak; however, the points made by the friends were very good; some of them will certainly require our follow-up, which I will recommend and pursue.

I will mention two or three points. The first point is that a teacher is not only a meaning of a teacher but also of a mentor; this is a natural secret revealed to all. Someone from whom we learn something and who opens a door of knowledge for us naturally creates an influence in our hearts and souls; we can say that a state of receptivity is created in the learner by virtue of this teaching; this is a very great and exceptional opportunity. There are many young people who are unwilling to heed the advice of their fathers, grandfathers, mothers, and families, yet a word or a gesture from a teacher has a profound effect on them. This is the nature of a teacher. Naturally, teaching is accompanied by the possibility of nurturing; this opportunity must be utilized. If our teacher is pious, has national zeal, revolutionary motivation, and a hardworking spirit, these qualities will naturally be transferred to the learner. The opposite is also true. If that teacher is a fair and ethical person, the possibility of nurturing a fair and ethical student will increase; the reverse is also true.

Today, the country needs young people who can be powerful arms for the advancement of the country, filled with faith-driven motivation, religious insight, high ambition, courage to act, self-confidence, belief that "we can," hope for the future, seeing bright and shining horizons, a spirit of independence—not in the sense of turning away from learning from others, which we have never recommended and do not recommend; we are willing to be students of those who know more than us—this spirit of independence from influence, imposition, and exploitation of knowledge transfer, which is prevalent today in the world of scholars dominated by global arrogance—this spirit of independence must exist in the youth—an understanding of the correct position of the country, where we are, where we want to reach, and how we can traverse this path—that was truly present in the statements of today’s professors. We need young people with such spirits. These qualities, these advantages can be instilled and injected into the young generation engaged in education and learning in the country by the teachers; this is what a teacher is; of course, with method, with demeanor, not with moral lessons. I do not recommend that academic teachers hold ethics classes for students; that is a different task. Our professors can influence their students, today’s youth, through their behavior, their statements, their demeanor, and the opinions they express in various fields. When we say that teachers are the commanders of the soft war, this is what we mean. If that young person—as we have stated—is a young officer in the soft war, the teacher is their commander, and this command is in this manner.

In hard wars, it was the same: whenever the commander—whether the commander of a battalion, company, or brigade—was present in the middle of the battlefield at a critical point, meaning if he fought himself, it had an extraordinary effect on the soldiers. This is not unique to us; others are the same. Napoleon slept on the ground with his soldiers. The secret of Napoleon's military advancements during his time, which is extraordinary, is this: soldiers did not only receive orders from him verbally; they received orders in practice. Our youth acted similarly during the eight-year defense; the commander of the division sometimes was present ahead of ordinary elements in the battlefield; he was present at the front lines and sometimes went for reconnaissance; the division commander himself went for reconnaissance! This is something meaningless and unacceptable in the armies of the world, but this happened, and it was this that brought about the great advancements and wonders of the sacred defense period. In the soft war, it is the same. The teacher must be present in the midst of this deep, vital, and sacred struggle—what we call the "soft war," which is also a sacred defense.

Today, we have about seventy thousand faculty members in the country, which is a source of pride. I remember in the early years of the revolution—in the first half of the 1980s, perhaps even until the second half—the number of faculty members was estimated to be around five or six thousand. This number has now reached about seventy thousand; this is a source of pride for the country and a source of pride for the revolution and our university.

Fortunately, a large portion of this vast and extensive force consists of faithful, religious, revolutionary individuals who are committed to the principles of religion and the revolution; this is also very important; this is a phenomenon. Faithful and revolutionary elements in the academic boards must be appreciated. I say this to our dear managers, to the officials of the Ministry of Higher Education and the Ministry of Health and Medical Education: appreciate them! The esteemed ministers and boards of the ministries must appreciate the presence of these faithful professors and professors committed to religious values who stand firm on their truth and have not feared the media onslaughts and subtle malice—of which we are aware of many—and have not retreated. Esteemed managers! Honor the faithful elements and professors in the universities.

This first point is about the importance of the teacher. If I could meet with all seventy thousand dear professors in the country, I would certainly do so, and if I could hear from each of them, I would certainly listen; however, it is clear that our reach is limited, and this sweet and valuable date is on a tall palm tree.

The second point is regarding the issue of science. Fortunately, today the scientific movement in the country has become a current; this is a stabilized current in the country, and there is no doubt about it. In the last ten to fifteen years, our professors, our scientists, our youth have worked in this field; and we observe the effects of this in the rise of the country’s scientific ranking. We have reached the sixteenth scientific rank in the world, which is very important; our rank was much lower than this; the country has been raised to the sixteenth rank, and this is very valuable.

There are several points here: the first point is that our reaching a high scientific rank is due to the extraordinary acceleration of work. According to global statistics, the pace of scientific progress in the country was thirteen times the world average; this has been announced by global scientific statistical centers, which we have repeatedly stated before. This acceleration has decreased today. Some say we have fallen behind in scientific progress, while others say we have not fallen behind, and both present statistics; the point is here: yes, apparently we have not fallen from the sixteenth or fifteenth rank—that is correct—but we should have progressed; that is, this acceleration should have continued; this acceleration has decreased today. Dear brothers and responsible officials of the ministries should pay attention to this point; that acceleration is no longer present. Make sure that the pace of scientific growth does not diminish; to use a military expression from hard warfare, this movement should not fall out of round. Of course, we know that the further we go, the naturally this acceleration will decrease; that is, when we are very far behind, there are more unused capacities, and the further we come, these capacities will naturally decrease because they are utilized—we know this—but that necessary and proportional acceleration in scientific progress should not diminish.

The second point is to keep the scientific environment of the country free from marginalization. Let there be no misunderstanding; I am not saying that there should be no politics in universities—perhaps many remember that I expressed a harsh expression years ago in this very Ramadan session in the presence of professors regarding those who wanted to restrict politics from universities and among students, which caused much grievance to many—no, I believe that the university environment is an environment of political understanding, political analysis, and political awareness; I do not see this as an obstacle; rather, I say that political games should not occur, political maneuvering should not happen, and marginalization should not take place. These marginalizations harm the main work, which is scientific work and scientific advancement with all the characteristics that this issue has.

One of the most erroneous actions that occurred in the last couple of years was the issue of scholarships. Even if this claim was true—which, of course, after investigation, it became clear that it was not true in that manner; the way the newspapers played with it was not the case; we received accurate reports based on investigations—it was not right to make the issue a media spectacle. A number of individuals obtained a privilege contrary to the law; very well, there is a legal way: revoke that privilege; it does not create noise. Creating a commotion, creating a margin is poison for the scientific environment that must pursue its work calmly. Unfortunately, this poison was poured into the country’s university by individuals based on the same foundations of political maneuvering and political games; why? In addition to the fact that injustice was done—many were wronged—this action was both illegal and contrary to prudence and ethics; yet they keep talking about ethics. Why do the repentant not repent less? This was ethical? Let there be no marginalization. Do not let the higher education environment fall prey to margins.

The next issue is the issue of humanities. We are lagging in the field of humanities. Friends who spoke about the humanities rightly emphasized the importance of humanities, even in industry; this is correct. The statistics that this dear brother provided were interesting to me, stating that in industrial advancement, about forty percent—perhaps fifty percent—relates to engineering and technical issues, while about fifty to sixty percent relates to humanities issues—such as management, cooperation, and hard work; they are right, this is very important. In the field of humanities, fortunately, several of the brothers made good points; those were indeed the words of our hearts; of course, they are also the words of our tongues; we have also said these issues at times. Humanities are very important. Transformation in the humanities, which is necessary for many reasons, requires an internal surge and external support. Fortunately, there is an internal surge today. I see [reports of work], both in the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution—this very Council of Transformation and the friends working there—and in the universities themselves, as well as what you observed today [in the statements] of some friends who spoke about the humanities, indicating that this internal surge exists within the universities from the wise and knowledgeable individuals; external support must also exist—various forms of support—one of which is the adherence of the university and ministry to the resolutions of the Council of Transformation. They have resolutions that today one of the brothers just mentioned that as much as has been done, that much should be operationalized. Whatever has been attempted, whatever has been done, should be executed and operationalized. It should not remain in files and books and folders—and as he said, in the twists and turns of the corridors of the ministry or the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution—but should come to be operationalized; this is completely correct. The ministry should pay attention to this point. Dr. Farhadi is also sitting here; these are things that I particularly direct to him to follow up on; this work is significant. Today, the thread of science in the country and the thread of the university in the country is in the hands of these good brothers; they must pursue this in the true sense of the word and with genuine concern.

Another point is the issue of the research budget share. Of course, regarding these issues I am mentioning, some explanations are also necessary, but time is close to the call to prayer, and I cannot expand the discussion much. The share of the research budget is important; for several years, I have emphasized this issue in this session and in other sessions and in private meetings with the executive officials of the country; unfortunately, the information provided to me and the reports I receive indicate that no, these words of ours are treated like advice; advice that, for example, someone goes to the pulpit and gives advice; it has been viewed in this way; it is not like that; efforts must be made. Now, in the outlook, four percent of the public budget has been allocated for research; we are not that ambitious for this in the short term; however, that 1.5 percent or 2 percent that is possible and is being discussed must be implemented; still, the budgets available for research are a matter of a few tenths of a percent; this is one issue; another is the proper and planned expenditure of research financial resources; it must be spent correctly and placed in the right place.

The next point is the issue of the comprehensive scientific map; well, the comprehensive scientific map has been completed with the efforts and endeavors of friends and has reached a point where a complete and good document has been prepared for the country, which is very valuable. Those who are experts have confirmed after the comprehensive scientific map was prepared—that is what I have been informed and conveyed—that there is no major flaw, no significant issue with what has been prepared in the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution; such a thing does not exist; it has been confirmed; however, this comprehensive scientific map must be operationalized, the first step of which is discourse-building. I hear that friends who travel to the provinces and attend universities say that many professors—let alone students—and even managers do not have accurate information about the comprehensive scientific map of the country. Now, one of the friends here said that many are not aware of the resistant economy that you speak of; yes, this is one of the weaknesses of our work. If we want a request to be realized, the first step is to turn this request into an accepted discourse; the issue of science was of this kind, which became a discourse and naturally entered the practical flow, became operationalized, and turned into a current; this issue must also be the same. Issues related to the comprehensive scientific map of the country must become a discourse and be seriously implemented; this is one point.

One important point related to this is the document of higher education planning. That one of the friends pointed out that "if all the things we desire are our priorities, it means we have no priorities at all," this statement is correct and sound. That they said, "We should specifically state in which industrial fields we want to advance and invest human and financial resources and various capabilities," this is completely correct. I once said this about sports; I said we can be first or second in two or three sports; very well, let’s pursue these; in some sports, we do not have hopes of being first or second; I mean in competitive sports and in world competitions. In fact, they did the same; they took some steps in these areas, and it has been beneficial and effective; it is the same in this regard. Let’s see which scientific field, in which university and in which region of the country has priority; the scientific planning of the country means this. In which universities should we pursue which fields and invest in them and demand responses from them. This is also an issue that this document must be completed and operationalized, and work must be done.

What I want to say in conclusion is that dear brothers, dear sisters! Appreciate the work you are engaged in. There is no work more precious and honorable than this that is in our hands today. You have taken on great responsibilities that you are carrying out. In the Ministry of Science, the determination and effort of work must increase day by day if we want these works to be accomplished.

Of course, one of the things I have noted is the issue of increasing the number of students in graduate programs—which fortunately has seen a significant increase in recent years, and this is a very great advantage—but there must be a proper plan regarding the output of this important phenomenon. In graduate programs, students seek to research something, write something, prepare a thesis; this requires a system, requires a macro perspective, requires a general guidance on what should be prepared so that the country can benefit from it. If this does not happen, we have wasted resources; we have wasted the professor, the student, the money, the management, and various other facilities. These macro perspectives, these large-scale planning, these large-scale organizing of issues related to the Ministry of Science are fundamental works that must be done, and the knots of the country, God willing, will be untied through this.

The work you professors do is important work. The work that the scientific management apparatus of the country does—which is mainly the ministries and the scientific vice presidency—this work is important; it should be given importance; a true evaluation and assessment should be conducted regarding this; let us know what important work is being done.

As some friends pointed out in their speeches, the enemies of the Iranian nation aim to prevent this country and this nation from reaching its deserving place, that civilizational position; because they have felt that this movement has begun in the country; the sanctions are due to this. Yes, I also believe that the goal of the sanctions is not just the nuclear issue, nor is it the issue of human rights, nor is it the issue of terrorism. They said, "Why did so-and-so not cry when the reciter recited the lamentation of Ali Asghar?" They said, "That servant himself has a hundred Ali Asghars beheaded; does he cry for the lamentation of Ali Asghar?" They themselves are the nurturers of terrorists; they themselves are against human rights; do they seek to pressure a country for human rights? This is not the issue; the issue is a calculation that is much higher and beyond these words; that is, a nation, a movement, an identity has emerged based on resources and principles that are directly opposite to the principles of the system of domination and oppression; they do not want this to reach a conclusion; we are in such a situation; we are in such a position. We must move forward; we must strive. The sanctions do create difficulties, but they cannot prevent progress; we must utilize our capacities. And you professors have a role in this regard; and the Ministry of Science and the ministries related to the issue of knowledge have essential and important roles; appreciate these roles and pursue them, and God willing, seek help from the Almighty. This noble verse that the friends recited—"If you help God, He will help you and make your feet firm"—this is an unfailing divine promise.

O Lord! By the blessing of these days and nights, by the blessing of the pure blood of Amir al-Mu'minin (peace be upon him) and the pure bloods that have been shed in the path of truth over these years—those who have emerged and manifested in our country—by the blessing of these bloods, by the blessing of these struggles, by the blessing of these sanctities, bring our nation closer day by day to true honor and happiness; O Lord! Grant the strivers of this path, the activists of this path, including the esteemed professors and students and those who strive for knowledge, all of them the blessings of Your success; and unite the pure soul of our great Imam (may his soul be sanctified) and the pure spirits of the martyrs with the martyrs of the early Islam.

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