The groundwork must be laid in order for the elite to be able to show their innate talents and in order for them to find the opportunity to make an effort. Sometimes we have an elite, and he/she is ready to undertake different tasks, however the groundwork has not been prepared for him/her. This groundwork did not exist during the period of the Taghut (Pahlavi kings). And if it did exist, it was not among the official policies of the Taghut. The groundwork did not exist. There were many talented individuals who were prepared to work, but they were subdued. From the beginning of the Revolution, I was present in the student associations in Tehran University and in other universities. I would constantly meet with lecturers and other students there. That is why I wholeheartedly say this, and I am able to provide evidence for this statement, that with [the emergence] of the Islamic Revolution, the groundwork was laid for the growth of elites. First of all, universities spread. Which part of the country have you seen where there is not a university? There are universities all over the country. And there are the academics. The number of academics, both students and professors, has increased. There has been a 25-fold increase in the number of students in the country. A 25-fold increase is very high. In the first years after the Revolution, around 1980 or 1981, there were about 5,000 faculty members in the country as I recall. Today, there are over 100 thousand. The scientific development we are seeing in the country is something that is truly valuable. It is a part of the groundwork that is needed for nurturing the elite. We should truly appreciate the academics. Our academics did not allow the country from becoming dependent on the West.
Imam Khamenei
Oct 19, 2022
