Approval of 1541 Programs at Azad University by Higher Education Expansion Council

Mojtaba Shariati Niasar, the educational deputy of the Ministry of Science, Research, and Technology, announced on Sunday, July 9, the approval of over 1540 programs at Azad University by the Higher Education Expansion Council of this ministry. According to ISNA news agency, he stated: "The accuracy of the initial information of these programs will be reviewed within the next 45 days, and if the Higher Education Expansion Council of the Ministry of Science detects any errors or mistakes in the information provided by Azad University, the approval of these programs will be revoked, and their capacity will be reduced to zero." Mr. Shariati Niasar pointed out that Azad University had requested the approval of 2780 programs, and added that the approval for 1541 programs was granted by the Higher Education Expansion Council of the Ministry of Science. Previously, the House of Representatives news agency, affiliated with the parliament, quoted the educational deputy of the Ministry of Science as saying that around 2300 programs of Azad University had been approved, but Mojtaba Shariati Niasar denied this news in an interview with ISNA on Saturday, July 8. Earlier, the director of human resources and welfare at Azad University had reported the "removal" of 2800 programs from this university by the Ministry of Science, calling it an "unprofessional and controversial" action. Saeed Alizadeh considered the removal of these programs to be "contrary to the scientific and technological policies issued" by the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic and "the law of parliament," stating that this decision has led to the removal of "from 1 to 142 programs in master's degrees across 253 Azad University units." According to ISNA, Mojtaba Shariati Niasar, in his remarks on Sunday, announced that the approval of Azad University programs was divided into three sections: "The first section included programs that were already established at Azad University and had graduates, and these programs had at least three assistant professors, totaling 792 cases." He added: "The second section included programs that had been approved for admission since last year and currently had three full-time professors with relevant expertise, totaling 316 programs." According to the educational deputy of the Ministry of Science, Research, and Technology, "The third section of the approved programs relates to 433 programs that currently have permission to conduct doctoral courses for student admission, and their master's programs have also been approved." Mojtaba Shariati Niasar pointed out that the approval for these programs was "only for one admission cycle, that is, the academic year 97-96, and Azad University is required to meet the criteria set by the Higher Education Expansion Council and fulfill its conditions." These statements were made amid accusations from Ali Akbar Velayati, the head of the founding board of Azad University, on July 9, who accused the Ministry of Science of "bulk removal" of some of the university's master's programs and added that this university continues its operations without regard to the Ministry of Science's statement. Ali Akbar Velayati, speaking on state television, stated that "Azad University conducts its master's program selection according to the law and does not concern itself with the Ministry of Science's statement." He considered the codes of Azad University's programs to be "in accordance with the law" and added that the Ministry of Science's denial in this regard is "an arbitrary interpretation against the law." Azad University has witnessed controversial changes since Ali Akbar Velayati took over as head of the university's board of trustees. In early May of this year, he dismissed Hamid Mirzadeh from the presidency of Azad University and introduced Ali Mohammad Nourian as the caretaker of this university. Mr. Mirzadeh's dismissal was met with reactions, including a letter from Hassan Khomeini, the grandson of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and a member of the board of trustees of Azad University, to Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, asking him to intervene in the issue of the dismissal of the president of Azad University and the changes at this university. Hamid Mirzadeh claimed that his dismissal occurred without following legal procedures and voting in a meeting of the board of trustees with all members present. However, this was denied by the current management of Azad University.