Government Bypasses Parliament; Raisi Issues Decree Separating 'Organization for Educational Assessment' from Ministry of Science and Integrating it into the Presidency

Three months after its approval by the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution, Ibrahim Raisi issued the council's decree to separate the 'Organization for Educational Assessment and Training' from the Ministry of Science and transfer it to the Presidency. This decision comes despite some members of the Islamic Consultative Assembly having previously deemed such an 'idea' 'dangerous' and a breeding ground for 'corruption' before its implementation. The separation of the 'Organization for Educational Assessment' from the Ministry of Science and the establishment of another organization named 'National Organization for Educational Assessment and Evaluation' under the President effectively removes the Parliament's oversight rights to question the Minister or the ministry's subdivisions, placing this important institution, responsible for administering the national university entrance exam, under the control of the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution, even though it is ostensibly located within the Presidency. Raisi, who heads the executive branch and also presides over the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution, made this separation public while the controversies surrounding the entrance exam and the confrontation between Parliament and the council had recently entered a new phase. As specified in the decree, the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution addressed this issue in meetings on May 1 and June 20 of this year and approved it. In this context, on August 8, following the approval of the separation of the organization from the Ministry of Science, a member of Parliament reported on the government's 'quiet' efforts to separate the organization and integrate it into the Presidency, labeling it 'dangerous and likely to create suspicions of corruption' within the organization. Zabihullah Azimi Sardoui stated that with the implementation of this idea, the Parliament's oversight over the organization would be effectively removed, and this 'chart change' would be the biggest blow to the Ministry of Science. He emphasized that with this integration into the Presidency, the Minister of Science and the head of the organization would never be accountable to the representatives. In August 2018, Ali Larijani, then Speaker of Parliament, had also emphasized that 'the problems arising from the entrance exam have been assessed. I once said that if you dissolve this 'Organization for Educational Assessment,' the problem will be solved. That is, the situation will improve.' The dissolution of the organization had been raised in previous years, and Hossein Torkali, a senior advisor to the organization, stated in December 2017 that the Ministry of Science is the main decision-maker regarding the status of the organization and that necessary studies should be conducted before any potential dissolution. The entrance exam and the organization have been points of contention between Parliament and the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution in recent years, with 'Baharestan dwellers' repeatedly questioning the council's legislative authority. In this context, in the summer of 2022, Ibrahim Souzanchi, Deputy for Policy-Making at the Secretariat of the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution, announced a decree that, according to him, was the result of over two years of continuous review, which aimed to make fundamental changes in student admissions, including 'prioritizing' admission based on academic performance. Previously, on July 5, 2021, the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution had a decree stating that the share of total academic performance scores for admissions in the 2021 academic year would be '40 percent,' and for admissions from the 2022 academic year onward, the share would be '60 percent.' From the outset, members of Parliament raised objections, considering the impact of academic performance scores to be a cause of 'discrimination,' and attempted to amend the council's decree through a proposed plan. This effort was met with reactions from the Secretary of the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution, who deemed Parliament unqualified to interfere in the council's decisions. Recently, continuing the 'entrance exam conflict,' members of Parliament sent a decree to the Guardian Council to conduct the national exam without the definitive impact of GPA for the next three years. However, on October 4, the Guardian Council voted to reject this Parliament decree in favor of the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution. The spokesperson for the Guardian Council stated that the change in the method of conducting the entrance exam was found to be contrary to principles of the Constitution. Hadi Tahan Nazif emphasized that this plan would alter the method prescribed by the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution for conducting the entrance exam, which had been implemented since last year and was based on which the recent entrance exam was conducted. Observers believe that high-level elements of the Islamic Republic are seeking to make fundamental changes in university admissions and even the type of education, with the Guardian Council acting as a tool in this process with all its 'legal' and 'extra-legal' powers. Critics evaluate the changes in universities and the dismissal of critical professors, replacing them with individuals close to the regime, including mourners, as well as new disciplinary and educational approaches for students in this context.