The Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Khamenei received a large number of Iranian university chancellors and directors of the institutes of higher education and research centers from across the country on Monday, August 14.
In an address to the audience, the Leader stressed the need for the full-scale promotion of science in society and turning the pursuit of science into a dominant discourse in all sectors.
Ayatollah Khamenei also referred to fact that based on the country's 20-Year Perspective Document, the Islamic Republic of Iran is expected to rank first in the region in terms of scientific progress at the end of the 20-year period.
"A comprehensive scientific map is the most urgent requirement of the country. Drawing up this map and determining a timetable and a definite strategy will pave the way for attaining the high levels of modern science," Ayatollah Khamenei told the audience.
Hinting at the great human talents in the country, the large number of Iranian students, competent university professors, remarkable scientific achievements and the opening of new frontiers in various branches of modern science, the Leader stated that paying serious attention to the basic sciences and theorizing in the scientific sphere constitute the major factors in the movement that aims at the production of knowledge.
Ayatollah Khamenei described the country's scientific growth and development as a progressive and continuous process. He added that the foundations of scientific growth should be laid at the most fundamental stages of primary education, and that it should be further promoted at the higher levels of education, especially at the university level.
Further in his statements, the Leader of the Islamic Republic referred to the government, the High Council on Cultural Revolution and other educational decision-making bodies as the ones responsible for delineating the country's scientific development process. He also noted that the establishment of the Elites Foundation would encourage researchers and scholars and give fresh impetus to scientific activities in the country.
"The scientific and educational atmosphere of universities should be such as to help the students become aware of and acquainted with the glorious achievements and scientific heritage of their past generations, so that they may be imbued with a sense of national self-confidence," the Leader told the academics.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Ayatollah Khamenei referred to the increase in the students' power of analysis and political perception as among the issues deserving greater attention. He also underlined the need for the presence of various student political trends at universities.
"A suitable ground should be prepared at universities so that various student political trends, while engaged in scientific activities, may be able to increase their political insight and see into political fallacies and misleading analyses, which will prevent them from turning into a tool in the hands of political groups outside universities, and also boost their spirit of adherence to their national interests," Ayatollah Khamenei observed.
The Minister of Science, Research and Technology Dr. Mohammad-Mahdi Zahedi, speaking at the meeting, presented a report on the educational programs of his ministry. He said that the movement aiming at the production of knowledge and the efforts to expand higher education are at the top of his ministry's agenda.
"Extending strong support to the registration of inventions, increased attention to new technologies, the formation of student scientific societies, the establishment of chairs in the field of theorizing, the equipment of laboratories and scientific workshops in universities and raising the number of chairs in the Persian language abroad are among the ministry's programs, some of which have already been implemented, and the rest will be implemented in the not-too-far future," the minister told the audience.
The Health Minister Kamran Baqeri-Lankarani, also speaking at the meeting, touched on the major responsibilities of and the public services rendered by his ministry. He said that the Iranian medical universities and research centers showed a sharp scientific growth during the past year, a fact indicated by the scientific articles presented by them at the international seminars.
"Besides, the research project carried out with the aim of treating spinal impairments is an example of our achievements in the field of modern and advanced technologies," he added.
Baqeri-Lankarani further said that the establishment of new courses, especially in the area of modern technologies, and the promotion of higher education in the deprived regions are on the agenda of the Ministry of Health, Treatment and Medical training.