Education in a Danger Zone; Ineffective Content and Student Apathy

The quality of education in Iran is currently depicted by average national exam scores ranging from 8 to 11 across various fields, with critics attributing this crisis to ineffective curriculum content, student apathy, economic issues, and teachers' secondary jobs. This crisis seems to deepen with extensive changes in textbook content. In this context, an expert told 'Khabar Online' that 'students question whether studying will truly lead them to success.' Reports indicate that the national average scores for students in the final exams of Khordad 1402 were 11.23 in experimental sciences, 10.79 in mathematics, 8.75 in humanities, and 10.56 in religious studies, continuing a downward trend in student averages over the past few years. Mohsen Zarei, the Deputy Minister of Education, attributed this occurrence to a change in examination approaches, stating that this year's exam was not comparable to previous years, and the main goal of the Ministry of Education in the Khordad 1402 exam was to change this approach. On the other hand, Seyyed Hassan Mousavi Chelyk, the head of the Social Workers Association, reacted to these statements, saying that 'there has not been a revision of teaching methods and content to meet today's needs.' According to this social activist, the educational content belongs to the past and has not been revised to meet current needs. Mousavi Chelyk stated that 'today, studying is not a priority for students; there is no motivation among students, and they ask themselves why they should study, considering what happened to their parents who studied. Therefore, they think that if they just plant nails, they will earn more.' This situation in the country's education system comes as the Ministry of Education has been instructed by Ali Khamenei to change the content of textbooks. The Minister of Education stated on September 20 that changes had been made to the content of 56 textbooks for the new academic year. Although Reza Morad Sahraei considered these changes to be 'part of a calculated and scientific process,' educational experts believe that the new changes will lead to a decrease in the quality of education and further demotivate students. Analysts believe that the Ministry of Education aims to increase the level of ideological concepts and content in the educational system. Evidence for this claim includes statements from various officials in the country's educational system. In this regard, Alireza Kazemi, the head of the Ministry of Education, stated in Aban 1400 that the subject of 'anti-imperialism' would be included in textbooks. The Director General of 'Witness and Veterans Affairs' of the Ministry of Education also announced a new approach of this ministry in education in Aban 1401, stating that 'the promotion of martyrdom culture in schools has begun, and the content of textbooks will also change accordingly.' Ebrahim Raisi mandated the teaching of 'Defensive Sciences and Religious Studies' in schools and universities. The decline of education in Iran; severe academic decline among students. The Ministry of Education and the 'Fashion and Clothing Working Group' have collaborated to promote hijab. A clerical official stated that female seminary students and soldier-students are present in schools. Changes to the content of first-grade textbooks will occur in Mehr 1403. The Minister of Education of the Islamic Republic announced the gender segregation of textbooks. Strengthening ideology in education; the prayer bell has become mandatory in all schools in Iran.