In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful
All praise is due to God, Lord of the Worlds, and peace and greetings be upon our Master and our Prophet, Abul Qasim al-Mustafa Muhammad, and his untainted, pure, immaculate Progeny, particularly the Remnant of God on earth.
I would like to extend a warm welcome to each and every one of you, my dear brothers and sisters, you who are teachers, who help to foster virtues, and who build our country’s future. I extend my greetings to the community of teachers throughout the country, and I would like to congratulate all our dear teachers on Teachers’ Day. I also wish to honor the memory of our esteemed teacher and martyr, the late Ayatollah Motahhari, for this day is always associated with his memory. This day, the 12th of Ordibehesht [1st of May], presents us with an opportunity to express our admiration for the community of teachers across the country. Let us extend our gratitude and respect, and also verbally honor our dear teachers to the best of our ability. Of course, verbal compliments are not enough, but they are necessary. We will also be discussing some issues related to the education and edification system [on this day].
As I mentioned, “honoring teachers” is essential. First of all, “He/she who doesn’t thank people hasn’t thanked the Creator” (Uyun Akhbar al-Reza, 2: 24). It is important for everyone to show gratitude to teachers. You are the ones who train our children, teach them, and prepare them for their future lives. This is a major task. The entire nation, every single person in the country regardless of their position or occupation, should thank teachers. Secondly, when I say that we should "thank teachers," this is because I want the public opinion of the country to pay attention to the importance of education and edification and the importance of teachers.
Many of the problems we encounter stem from the public opinion. When the public opinion focuses on something and supports it, that task becomes easier to accomplish. At the present time, we are faced with material challenges in the field of education and edification — issues related to livelihood, work, and the educational environment. If the public opinion becomes concerned about this matter, if they get to know teachers and appreciate them, this will have an impact on all these problems. This is what we want. I believe it is important to publicly acknowledge and thank teachers in order to bring the attention of public opinion to this matter.
The more the teaching profession is respected the more appealing it will be. When a profession is held in high regard by a society, the appeal of that job will naturally grow. When the appeal of a profession increases, highly skilled individuals will be drawn to it. [So,] the teaching community will be upgraded scientifically and spiritually. Once this happens, the country will improve in terms of its education and edification.
See, it's a simple calculation. We must do something to ensure that the teaching profession is respected worldwide. This is up to the media, public speakers, and the platforms for public discourse to define and honor the teaching profession for people. So this was about teachers.
But why should we talk about the system of education and edification? Because the [Ministry of] Education and Edification is truly not on the same level as other organizations in the country. Everyone should accept this. Now, when I say that it is “not on the same level as other organizations,” this raises a question in many people’s minds. This is where the public opinion that I mentioned earlier shows itself.
What do I mean when I say it is “not on the same level as other organizations?” I mean that other organizations use the human workforce, while the [Ministry of] Education and Edification creates the human workforce. It creates human resources. Yes, we do have a higher educational system as well, but this is the basis for that. These twelve years should not be underestimated. The identity of human resources takes shape in the system of education and edification. When a teacher is actively present, they are actually helping to shape [the students’] identities. Your behavior, words, the stances you take, your gestures, and even a simple joke or scolding someone in the classroom can all have an impact on your audience, which is the young generation that must make decisions and shape the future of our country.
So, that is [the importance] of the system of education and edification. It prepares the workforce and human resources, and human resources is the biggest asset of any country. If we have oil, mines, gold under the ground, all kinds of underground wealth, clean air, and a good atmosphere, but we don't have the people who can use these or make use of these things, then what’s the use? In the previous century, Africa possessed the greatest wealth in the world. But they lacked people who were capable of using it. The Europeans took advantage of this opportunity to exploit Africa. They collected and took away its wealth.
That is why human resources are so important, and it is the system of education and edification that prepares these resources. In our country, as in every other country, our security, development, health, welfare, knowledge, research, and all our human and Islamic values are dependent on our human resources. The system of education and edification builds these human resources. Therefore, we need to thoroughly discuss and talk about the system of education and edification. There is much work to be done in this regard.
Accordingly, I would like to mention a few words regarding the system of education and edification. Of course, the Minister’s statements were very good. Much of what he said was in accordance with the recommendations that were previously given. Praise God, the developments he mentioned are important. Some of them were in the reports [that I had received] and I may point out a few of them. I would like to say a few words about the system of education and edification and also the expectations we have from our teachers and the teaching community in our country.
In the field of education and edification, I will outline several main topics. One of the most important is the issue of "transformation," as mentioned by the Minister. In the past, we had locked away this reform document [Fundamental Reform Document of Education (FRDE)] in a drawer for several years. No action was taken, thus we suffered losses. During those years when the FRDE was not implemented, progress was not made and we suffered losses. Well, I have now thankfully heard that the document has been reviewed and is nearing completion. It is in its final stages and a road map for its implementation has been prepared. All of these matters are important, especially the road map which provides guidance on how to enact the document to make a significant impact on all levels of education and edification. This is promising news. Don’t allow this to be interrupted and move it forward with serious work.
In every stage of development, it is essential to incorporate input from elite individuals. There are elites both within and outside the [country’s] system of education and edification who have opinions to share. There are individuals who may not hold a prominent position in the system of education and edification, but they have [useful] thoughts and opinions. Their opinions should be made use of. And this document needs to be amended and improved on a regular basis. So, you may update the document today, but it may need to be updated again two or three years later since changes take place rapidly. Therefore, such elite people should be benefited from. This was the first topic, the issue of transformation.
The second topic is about empowering teachers. There are two types of empowerment. One is in terms of livelihood, material issues, and the like. This has always been something that we have emphasized, and the government should make the necessary efforts in this area as much as it’s capable of doing. This is a whole separate issue which is necessary and efforts need to be made as much as possible in this area. However, empowerment has another dimension that I wish to focus on, and that is for teachers to use their spiritual strength — the love that naturally exists within a human being for teaching and educating others — and the necessary knowledge, needs, and experiences to strengthen their teaching. The strengthening of the teacher's job [is another type of empowerment].
I mentioned that you are the ones who shape human beings. You prepare the human workforce and human resources. This is not achieved by simply going into the classroom and teaching certain pages of a textbook. That is necessary too, but it is not limited to just that. When we enter a classroom, as a person in charge, as a person who is in charge of a group and the future of a group, we want to draw a picture of the future for them. We should enter the classroom with this intention, spirit, motivation, and understanding as a teacher. This is what I want to say. That is how empowerment is.
Well, if we want the teaching community to reach the standard level — the level that I mentioned — we must naturally strengthen the teacher training centers, also mentioned by Minister. I have repeatedly recommended and stressed the significance of the Farhangian University [a public Teacher Training University] and teacher training centers. I want to emphasize again that we must not underestimate this. These places are very important. In fact, the Farhangian University is where the country’s new generation of teachers are trained. Therefore, this is very important. This is another issue.
The third topic pertains to the area of edification. At one point in time, they were trying to induce the idea that a department for edification was unnecessary. Why? Their logic was that edification should be carried out by the teachers themselves. That is correct. A teacher’s job is not just to educate. They need to train and edify students too. But that is not enough. That is the main point of contention. A department for edification is one of the most important sections of the [Ministry of] Education and Edification. Of course, today the department for edification has its own problems. There are shortages in financial resources, and there are various views toward it, [but this sector] needs to be strengthened.
The first task of the department for edification is to prevent the occurrence and prevalence of moral and social harms brought on young people. I suggest that our youth, and there are millions of students — many of whom are active young people and teenagers — must take action to prevent social ills. Well, the premise is that there should be no social harms within schools, and it is the responsibility of the department for edification to address this issue. Now, of course, they give statistics stating that [the damages] have increased significantly. But I don't trust these statistics very much. They are not very reliable statistics, but there are damages, such as violent behavior, inappropriate relationships, and many other things that I do not want to mention. The department for edification must attend to these matters.
One of the other issues that is related to the area of edification in schools is clarifying the fundamental interests of the country and the system of the Islamic Republic. These must be explained to the youth. If these millions of young people who are in the system education and edification and in our schools know the fundamental interests of the system and their country, if they know who the friends and enemies of their country are, and if they know the fundamental issues that are important for their country, all the propaganda of the enemies and all the billions they are spending on propaganda to mislead the public opinion will become ineffective. If preventive measures are taken in this area with regard to our youth and they become vaccinated intellectually, the enemies' propaganda will become ineffective.
Let the youth of the country know what the elements of national interests are and the reasoning behind them. This is also important. For example, with regard to the US, they chant “Down with the USA!” The young individual is chanting this, but they need to understand why they are saying, “Down with the USA.” Why should we say, “Down with the Zionist regime?” They need to understand the logic behind this. Why do we say we aren’t willing to have relations with a certain government or a certain country? What is the reasoning behind this? They need to understand the logic behind these general interests. So, this was another topic which was related to the department of edification.
Another topic is the issue of consistent leadership within the [Ministry of] Education and Edification. Based on what has been reported to me, on the average over the past several years, we have had a new Minister of Education and Edification every two years. A new Minister every two years! Well, it’s obvious what’s going to happen to this organization. By the time they start doing something significant, the Minister must leave. When the Minister leaves, the team of management under his supervision also changes. The essential work that needs to be done doesn’t get done. I strongly stress the need for stable management from high-level to mid-level positions in order to effectively execute planned initiatives. This too is a topic that is related to both inside and outside the [Ministry of] Education and Edification.
Another topic that I believe is important is the establishment of role models in the teaching community. As teachers throughout the country, who do you look up to as your role models? We have role models in other fields. For example, in sports, champions are role models. In art, for example, prominent artists are role models. In the world of religious education and the clergy, there are prominent figures who serve as role models for others. Students in the seminaries look up to the Religious Authorities, or certain distinguished educators. Who are the role models in the teaching community? They need to be introduced. The [Ministry of] Education and Edification should search the country to find teachers who are outstanding in terms of teaching parameters. For example, there may be a teacher who teaches well, and their teaching is outstanding. There may be a teacher who has spent a large part of their life in teaching. We have had teachers — very few, perhaps a handful — who had been teaching for 50 or 60 years! This is very important. This is [an example of] a role model. [Or there is] a teacher who teaches in challenging, remote areas. He rides a bicycle to a remote area, teaches five or ten students, and returns.
Teachers who persevere in their dedication to educating and edifying students, and value this mission despite all kinds of personal, external, mental, and physical challenges are truly heroes. These people should be identified wherever they are in the country and recognized as heroes. In each province, in turn, a number of these teachers should be selected as heroes — perhaps 3, 5, or 10 of them — and they should be rewarded with certain benefits for their efforts. This is one of the necessary steps that needs to be taken. This encourages and motivates teachers, and we need this kind of motivation.
There are some things I need to mention regarding the expectations we have of teachers. We too have certain expectations from you teachers. One of the expectations, which is perhaps the most important expectation, is the one I have mentioned previously. Teachers do not just give knowledge. They are also cultivators of a student’s identity. Pay attention to this point. Note that you are building the personalities of these teens and young individuals. If you work diligently with a student, he/she goes to the university, and if they encounter a problem there, the problem will not affect them. Their identity will already have been built.
You are in fact extracting the innate abilities and talents of the young individual who is sitting in your classroom. He/she possesses the potential to be able to write, yet they currently lack that ability. You unlock this potential within him/her. He/she has the potential to solve problems, yet they lack the ability to do so. He/she has the potential to design a topic, but they lack the ability to do so. You are the ones who teach them these things. In other words, you extract these talents. It is similar to gold and silver mines from which gold and silver are extracted. You are extracting [the talents of students]. Therefore, you are building their identity. You need to teach them knowledge, which is the top priority. You need to instill self-confidence, courage, motivation, and enthusiasm for work and study in them so that they can extract the capacities that exist within themselves. That is the first thing.
The second issue is derived from the first: discovering the talents of students. As teachers, you interact with these young people and teens more than anyone else. Even their parents may not have as much connection with them, especially considering the challenges of the modern age, such as the prevalence of digital technology. If a teacher pays attention to their students, they can discover their talents and guide them to further develop these talents. They can inform their parents or connect them with relevant centers to develop these talents. That is the second point.
The third issue, which is also very important in my opinion, is teaching your students to have a national perspective. What I mean is that we have a comprehensive plan for running the country and for its advancement. It is a table. If the squares in this table are filled correctly, this will result in the progress of the country. Your classroom is one of the squares in this table. The student should feel part of a group, part of a whole. The student who is studying should realize that he/she is a part of a collective, general movement, that they are a piece of a puzzle for the country’s progress. This needs to be instilled in students. Of course, the teachers themselves should sense this before teaching it to their students.
This is my advice to the teachers. Your classroom is not a separate part of a whole. Rather, it is a component of this whole, and this component moves this giant machine — which can be said to be the country, the society, or the system — forward with its own movement. You should see your job in this way and instill this perspective in your students. This is what it means to give your students a sense of identity. They should feel they are a part of a great whole that is moving the entire country forward.
The things they do are not just personal tasks. Yes, they study and they learn, but this learning is a part of a larger mission being carried out on a national scale. This sense should be passed on to the students. Familiarize them with the accomplishments of the nation and with the country’s possessions. Share with them the triumphs that have been achieved due to following the correct path and giving the right slogans. Make them aware of the dangers and hostilities posed by enemies as well. This is another expectation.
The next expectation is creating hopefulness. I frequently insist on the issue of bringing hope to the young people, and the reason for this is that hope guarantees the future of the country. Anyone who creates hope in the youth and teenagers of today or contributes to bringing hope to this generation has in fact helped build the future of the country. [Conversely,] those who seek to discourage the youth because of their opposition to a particular person, system, or administration are in fact damaging the future of the country. Fostering hope means highlighting advancements and progress, explaining the positive aspects, and describing the prospects that help to increase motivation for the future.
There may be weaknesses in the country, the system, or the government that you know of, but there is no need to pass this on and discourage the youth. You should try to make them hopeful about the future. This hope will move them and lead them in the right direction. So by instilling hope, you are helping the future of the country. This is another point.
The next point, beside educating and edifying students, which I already discussed, is encouraging students to engage in social activities. There are numerous activities in society, such as participating in the activities in the mosques, volunteering for charity work, participating in street celebrations on occasions such as the 15th of Sha’ban and Eid al-Ghadir, engaging in construction projects, joining the Rahian-e Noor [Passengers of Light, religious caravans that travel to the former battlefields of the Iran-Iraq war to familiarize the younger generation with the events of that time] and the Rahian-e Pishraft [Passengers of Progress, program that takes students to see first-hand the progress that has been made in the country], as well as volunteering in remote villages to help those in need. Encouraging the youth to take part in these activities will not only provide them with a valuable experience, it will also contribute to solving many of the country’s issues.
We currently have close to 17 million school students. Out of these 17 million, at least seven million are young individuals and teenagers who can play a role in various fields. You should make maximum use of these forces to advance the country and advance the work. This was another point.
The final issue is regarding skills training, which the honorable Minister also referred to in his statements. A few days ago, I had a meeting in this Hussainiyah with the dear workers, where I stated that the foundation of their level of skills is built in school. In other words, if there is skills training in the country’s regular schools — that is, in addition to what’s done in technical and private institutes — it seems to me that this will lead to significant progress.
These were my expectations. Of course, the dear teachers are doing a good job, and many of them meet these expectations without me needing to say anything. However, these things should become more prevalent in the teachers’ community.
The issue of Gaza today is the dominant issue in the world. In other words, at the international level, no matter how hard the Zionists and their American and European supporters try to shift the world’s public opinion away from Gaza, they are unable to do so. Just see what is happening in the universities in the US. As I read in the news today, several more universities have joined [the protests]. [Also] in Australia and various European countries, nations are concerned about the situation in Gaza. It is the dominant issue in the world. We must not allow this issue to be downgraded in the view of the international community. It should be kept at the forefront [of global issues]. The pressure on the Zionist regime must keep increasing day by day.
There is a matter that deserves attention. Well, today the whole world is seeing the behavior of the Zionist regime. It has massacred over 30,000 people in the past six months, at least half of them women and children. This is not a small matter. These merciless actions and the savagery carried out by these rabid dogs, their attacks on Palestinian children, patients, the elderly, and women are not a small matter.
Well, this is one of the things that has proven the correctness of the Islamic Republic’s stance to the world. The rightfulness of the stance that has always been adopted by the Islamic Republic of Iran has been proven. In what way? [Some people ask,] “Why has the Islamic Republic been chanting ‘Down with the Zionist regime’ for all these decades?” This rightful stance has been proven to be correct. It has been shown to the entire world that the Islamic Republic and the Iranian nation were right, [because the Zionist regime] has revealed its evil, malicious nature in this important test. The Islamic Republic has been proven to be correct [in its stance with regard to the Zionist regime].
Another issue is the US’s behavior. See how the US and its affiliated entities are reacting to the verbal opposition to Israel. The students in American universities haven’t destroyed anything, they aren’t chanting slogans about destroying anything, they haven’t killed anyone, they haven’t set anything on fire, and they haven’t broken any windows. But they are being treated like that. The US’s behavior demonstrates the rightfulness of Iran’s negative outlook toward the US and substantiates the “Down with the USA” slogan that you chant. It proves to the world that the US is an accomplice in this crime. They are an accomplice. They may say something that seems they are showing sympathy at times, but it’s all lies. It’s contrary to the reality. What is being seen in practice is the US’s collaboration and complicity with the Zionist regime in carrying out this massive crime and unforgivable sin. They are partners in crime. How can one be optimistic about such a system and such a regime? How is that possible? How can you trust what they say? That is one issue.
The next point is related to the current state of affairs in Palestine. We believe the problem in West Asia will not be solved until Palestine is returned to its owners. Even if they try for another 20 or 30 years to keep the [Zionist] regime in power — which by the will of God, they cannot do — that won’t solve anything. The problem will only be solved when Palestine is returned to its rightful owners — that is, the Palestinian people. Palestine belongs to the Palestinians, among whom are Muslims, Christians, and Jews. Palestine belongs to them and must be returned to them. They have the right to form their own government and system, which can then decide how to deal with the Zionists. Whether they will expel the Zionists or allow them to stay should be their decision to make. This is the solution we proposed several years ago. It has been officially registered in the United Nations, and we still emphasize this solution. The issue in West Asia will not be solved until this happens.
Some people imagine if they persuade regional countries to normalize relations with the Zionist regime, the matter will be settled. No, they’re wrong. Suppose various regional countries, mainly Arab countries, normalize relations with the Zionist regime. Such a measure will not solve anything. [Rather], it will create problems for those governments. In other words, the governments that ignore these crimes and extended a hand of friendship to the [Zionist] regime despite the crimes it has committed should be awaiting their own people rising up against them. The nations in the region may be against the Zionist regime today, but on that day, they will rise up against their own governments. The problem will not be solved [in this manner]. Palestine must be returned to the Palestinians. We are hopeful that, God willing, this future will be brought about by Almighty God as soon as possible.
May God’s greetings, mercy, and blessings be upon you.
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