Exclusive; Dark Outlook for Science in Iran; Saeed Ghavami: Result of 'Lack of Meritocracy'

The magazine 'Science' has addressed the intensification of internet restrictions in Iran and pressure on professors and academics on the eve of the anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death, stating that this leads to a further deterioration of conditions for Iranian scientists. Dr. Saeed Ghavami, a professor in the Department of Human Anatomy and Cellular Sciences at the University of Manitoba in Canada, who has conducted extensive research on the academic situation in Iran in recent years, told Voice of America that this article does not present anything new. According to this university professor, the situation has 'always been this dire and has become more tragic in the past two years.' Mr. Ghavami states: 'What we are witnessing today is the result of 43 years of lack of meritocracy in universities and hiring individuals without considering scientific criteria.' The article in 'Science' points out that initially, the humanities were the victims of the government's stringent policies, but today this problem has also affected technical, engineering, and medical fields. Dr. Ghavami disagrees with this claim, stating that these fields have also suffered for years due to the lack of meritocracy. He mentions that good professors have either been isolated or pressured to the extent that they left their teaching positions, and over time, unqualified individuals replaced them. He adds: 'Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, and Isfahan University of Medical Sciences have gradually been emptied of good past professors, and what remains are individuals who have come to power based on non-scientific criteria, and even the good professors currently working are under such pressure and face so many problems and obstacles that they either become isolated or decide to leave their positions.' International sanctions and plagiarism The article in 'Science' notes that two decades of international sanctions and the collapse of currency value have halted the import of research tools and materials, and consequently, scientific experiments. A physicist residing in Canada told 'Science' that sanctions have led many scientific journals in Europe and the United States to prohibit access to Iranian servers, forcing Iranian scientists to resort to illegal electronic books and articles. The article also refers to research by the Research Center of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, which identified plagiarism with over 30% textual similarity in about half of 750,000 master's and doctoral theses over a four-year period. Saeed Ghavami, who is also a member of the editorial board of reputable scientific journals including 'Elsevier', responded to those who blame international sanctions for the rejection of scientific articles published in Iran, stating that many good articles come from Iran that are published and shine a light on faculty members and students. He said what gets rejected are the articles of individuals who have been hired based on unscientific criteria because they are unprofessional and of low quality. They blame this on sanctions, while it is not the case; rather, it is due to the authors' lack of awareness and poor preparation of these articles. Dr. Ghavami added: 'In Iran, we have very good students who have to bear the burden of these bad professors and prepare articles for their career advancement, which is also observed at higher levels, including the Minister of Science, who has created a suitable record for himself with the articles of his good students while he is not deserving of this position and rank at all.' 'US News and World Report', one of the ranking systems for educational institutions worldwide, ranked Tehran University at 329, Azad University at 394, and Tehran University of Medical Sciences at 517 for the year 2022 to 2023. Building Cyber Walls and Creating Another 'North Korea' The article in 'Science' further discusses the renewed restriction of the internet on the eve of Mahsa's death anniversary, stating that this time it seems the Islamic Republic is ready to completely disconnect Iranians from the global internet by launching a national network. The author of the article pointed out that the national network is linked to various institutions, including universities and research groups, but emphasized that the content provided in it mainly includes biographies, historical reports, and scientific developments. The author considers the creation of new 'cyber walls' to be a serious threat to the activities of Iranian scientists and, noting the purging of professors whom the government considers oppositional, emphasized that the environment for those who remain in universities has also become extremely difficult. The article also mentions that the national internet network accelerates brain drain and compares it to North Korea's internal network, which allows the government to control users' access to content and leads to self-censorship among users in research. Mr. Ghavami states that this danger exists and is even more severe. According to this university professor, the difference between Iran and North Korea is that Iran is a very rich country with many resources that the government is utilizing, and instead of improving the economic situation, the welfare of the people, or enhancing the scientific level of the country, it is spending them on its misguided goals. The author of the article stated that given the close relations of the Islamic Republic of Iran with China, the government will be able to utilize China's experience and technology to circumvent US sanctions and in digital walls. Cutting Off Participation with the West and Getting Closer to China and Russia The article in 'Science' refers to the Islamic Republic of Iran's efforts to stop research collaborations with the West and encourage researchers to establish closer ties with China and Russia, quoting an Iranian physicist as saying: 'Our world is getting smaller and our outlook is getting darker.' Saeed Ghavami states that the current strictness in Iran and the lack of research budgets from Western countries are drawing a wave of students to China and Russia, leading them from one pit to another and creating a dark future for them. He said: 'The only solution is to believe in and support the movement that is taking place in the streets of Iran so that the Iranian nation can achieve what it deserves and be able to showcase its capabilities.' The 'Science' article provides an example of the halt in scientific collaboration due to the increasing restrictions of the Iranian government, stating that last year, an artificial intelligence scientist in Silicon Valley began a remote collaboration with two neuroscientists in Tehran. They intended to collect data on how neurons respond to visual stimuli to pave the way for the early diagnosis of Parkinson's disease. The article continues that the Iranian government's repressive reaction to the protests that began with the death of Mahsa Amini disrupted internal and international communications. A scientist residing in the US who collaborated with scientists inside Iran told 'Science' that as a result, this collaboration fell apart. The Academic Association of University Professors of Iran condemned the excessive interference of security-intelligence institutions, tightening the space for 'non-affiliated' individuals in universities; 'affiliated' individuals are replacing 'protesting' professors. Continued crackdown on critical university professors; Ali Sharifi-Zarchi was expelled from Sharif University. The widespread expulsion of university professors continues; the decline in the global ranking of universities and a new wave of migration. Forty-three years after the 1979 revolution; what is Iran's scientific standing?