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Moulding minds
18-Jan-2010
As they struggle to fend off their political opponents in the here and now, Iran’s rulers are also taking a longer-term view with an ambitious project to indoctrinate future generations from an early age.
Plans to inject school education with more Islamic content, anti-western values and pro-regime and separate content for boys and girls amount to an attempt at an Iranian-style “Cultural Revolution.”
The plan is reminiscent of the upheavals in education that followed the 1979 revolution. But times have changed, and young people in modern Iran are far more exposed to a range of external influences than they were in those days, so it will not be as easy to corral them into unswerving loyalty to the regime.
Education Minister Hamid Reza Haji Babai announced the reforms on December 20, citing a recent statement by Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei advocating fundamental changes in education. “That means transforming the textbooks and teaching methods,” added Haji Babai.
Perhaps significantly, the Education Minister was speaking not to a gathering of educationalists, but to regional governors who were meeting to discuss how to deal with opposition protests.
The idea of bringing Islamic values – or the regime’s interpretation of them – back to the heart of the educational process dates back several years.
Only a few months after Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was elected president for the first time in 2005, he reintroduced the institution of “omur-e parvareshi”, where special “mentors” keep school pupils on the straight and narrow in terms of political thought as well as Islamic values, and extend this role of minder to a close interest in the child’s life outside school. The institution had been abolished under his predecessor, the reform-minded Mohammad Khatami.
An overhaul of the curriculum first began to be discussed three years or more ago. The sweeping changes that President Ahmadinejad’s administration has proposed include re-writing school textbooks to make their content more Islamic and gender-specific, and eliminating any subjects deemed too “western” or “secular”.
Furthermore, elements of Iran’s own history are to be excised, in particular relating to its royal dynasties, a decision that seems intended to curb the growth of nationalist, potentially anti-Islamic sentiment.
The education minister has stated that girls and boys should have separate textbooks from the age of nine, to facilitate different educational tracks for the sexes. This implies the authorities finding the money to print close to two million new books.
Another major component of the reform is the deployment of the Basij militia as both a physical and an ideological presence in the schools.
The Basij volunteer force is subordinate to the Supreme Leader and is currently playing a major role in quelling opposition street protests. Now the Basij ideology is to be used as a teaching model; the militia is setting up shop in schools to provide political indoctrination and military training; and members will act as mentors for pupils.
In addition, a cleric will be placed in every school to supervise religious practice.
A special centre has also been set up to coordinate between clergy and schools, in the shape of the Centre for Cooperation between the Howza-ye Elmieh and Ministry of Education. The Howza or clerical school is based in Qom.
The centre’s director Ali Zouelm has announced that 4,200 schools in Iran are to be controlled directly by the clerical establishment.
Nor are universities escaping the change. Plans are in train to segregate classes, and set quotas to limit female enrollment. Women currently account for at least six out of ten university students in Iran.
Nor will the curriculum be left alone. In a speech to university administrators in August, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei asked them to adapt the teaching of social sciences and humanities to fit the values and traditions of an Islamic society, and purge them of western theories and ideas. As things stood, he said, humanities teaching was liable to lead students to entertain “reservations and doubts about religious principles and beliefs".
All in all, it looks like the regime is planning a return to the revolution in values that came close on the heels of the political upheaval of 1979. By the following year, a Cultural Revolution was under way – the teaching curricula were changed to reflect the new ideology; any texts that did not match up to its Islamic principles were abolished, 6,000 out of 15,000 university academics were dismissed and 35,000 of their 170,000 students expelled.
In the schools, textbooks were rewritten, and new subjects such as the Koran and Arabic language added to school syllabus, and the “omur-e parvareshi” institution arrived to supervise and train schoolchildren in religious and ideological principles.
The transformation of education was enshrined in a law passed in 1987, which stated, “The education system plays a role in shaping students politically and ensuring their adherence to the Islamic Revolution.”
Article four of the law put it more succinctly – “Purification takes precedence over education.”
Two decades on, this ambitious programme of indoctrination does not seem to have worked.
Instead, a cultural divide has grown up between young people and government; between what children see in their daily lives and the religious strictures of their schools. Many have ended up living two lives, one at school and one at home, where they can watch satellite television and communicate via the internet.
Women have been able to study and advance themselves, despite the restrictions placed upon them; hence their domination of university places. This has produce a generation of educated feminists who fight for Islamic laws to be reformed to give them more rights.
Thus, the very fact that the government has decided to give young people an added dose of moral fibre is something of an admission of failure.
On the streets of Iran, a generation born and raised after 1979 are denouncing the regime's core ideologies in vocal and sometimes violent protests.
As Saeed Paivandi, a sociology professor at the University of Paris, puts it, “The behaviour of the new generation has caused Ahmadinejad’s administration to act more rapidly on their educational plans so as to prevent what they regard as cultural deviance.”
The Iranian government has a vision of a whole new generation educated within the confines of its restrictive ideology. A proportion of young people will take in the indoctrination they are fed. But past experience suggests they will be in a small minority.
As for the rest – those who aspire to a more open society, a modern way of life, and freedom are being offered the complete opposite by their government. That can only lead to a further estrangement between the rising generation – and ultimately society as a whole - and their rulers.
AUTHOR
Sahar Sepehri is a journalist and media analyst based in Washington DC. First published in mianeh.net.
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delete
by AsteroidX on Tue Feb 23, 2010 11:33 AM PSTdelete
Reviving old corpses? Not a chance my friend.
by areyo barzan on Thu Jan 21, 2010 02:53 AM PSTThis policy have been tried and failed miserably not only by the IRI but also all of the old dictatorships especially those of old soviet block, and failed again and again
Furthermore it failed 30 years ago when internet satellite TV and 24/7 news media were virtually none existance so they will not have a chance in hell to succeed this time either. If any thing by implementing such bankrupted strategy the IRI would only discredit and alienate itself further even in the eyes of its one supporters. It would also be a testament to the bankruptcy of its overall ideology.and as a result it will rub itself from whatever little dignity it got has left especially in the eyes of the young.
One only needs to take a brief look at our young generation today to know how aware resilient, intelligent and conscious they are. They might read the stuff just to pass the exams but they are far smarter to fall any of this BS.
Diversions & Distractions
by Harpi-Eagle on Wed Jan 20, 2010 11:46 AM PSTMehdi, first of all, I did not get mad, I was just being a little sarcastic to you. You see, you are not an important enough player for me to get mad at. Dr. AhmadiNejad ( We'll call him Dr. AN for short) on the other hand is a different story, he always tries to use diversions and distractions or answering questions with questions when interviewed by these western reporters and journalists. He fails to mention that our country of 71 million has an addict population of ~ 6 million (So do you!). Not one reporter or journalist has ever asked this guy about his shady past. It is strongly rumored in Iran that he used to administer Coup de Grace in Evin Priosn before he bacame the governor of Ardabil. His diversion and distraction techniques don't work anymore, he and other murderers and traitors like him will be braught to justice by our brave freedom loving youth.
The reson I made my inital comment is because your comments sound a lot like his diversion & distraction tactics, and you have to admit that one can only draw the conclusion that you are a mouth piece for Dr. AN, and in that capacity you most likely get paid by the IRI. Now you have to ask yourself the question "Is any amount of money enough to sell your soul and your nation for?" Obviously for some people the answer to that question is yes, some people like Salman Farsi, Rouhie Khoemini, Seyed Ali, Dr. AN, Larijani Bros., etc.
Remember, "Clouds can NOT obscure the sun forever!"
Payandeh Iran, our Ahuraie Fatherland.
Having lived "the little red book" experience,
by Rea on Wed Jan 20, 2010 02:53 AM PST..... scary indeed. For it does not take long to mould a young mind, particularly when moulding is regime suported and all pervasive, but it takes a lifetime to undo what had been done to one during their young age.
whatever you say Mehdi
by Pahlevan on Tue Jan 19, 2010 08:50 PM PSTOk, Mehdi ... whatever you say. I'll make sure to stay on the look-out for these "colorful chemicals", because it seems like they have had a very negative effect on your psyche. Thank you for warning us about these "colorful drugs", I pray for you to regain your health as soon as possible ... khoda shafat bedeh dash meiti
Yolanda Jan, no problem at all. Just stating the truth, as always. :)
.....
by yolanda on Tue Jan 19, 2010 07:54 PM PSTSomeone got brain-washed by IRI big time, he does not even know it...and then he talked about there is more brain-washing in US than Iran....
Thank you, Pahlevan, for your great post, great job!
Pahlevan: forgive me for being so ignorant
by Mehdi on Tue Jan 19, 2010 07:50 PM PSTAs my profile states, I live in Los Angeles. With your superior intelligence, I thought you'd figure that out.
Forgive me your holliness, but I am not even sure what your point is here. I stated as an example that in the US they also brainwash the kids in a similar way. I also gave a very specific example that they teach to the kids that their happines is determined by chemicals. This means that they are NOT responsible for their actions. Are you disagreeing with this in any way? Are you saying it is not true? Because to back it up, they have put 100 million people on these colorful chemicals! And guess what? They are not any happier!
Again, what is your point? Are you saying Iran is not as progressive as US? And your point being what?
I can give you some reasons why Iran is not as progressive as the US.
1) When Iranian students are sent to more progressive countries to get an education in the hopes that they would come back and help improve the nation, these students instead become revolutionaries and want to destroy the country! These students also look at people in Iran's villages and less educated areas and they hold their noses and say, "Piff, piff!" They then go to Israeli government and ask to please bomb these villagers as they are such embarrassement to the whole nation! This is one reason.
2) The parents of such students are usually among the richer groups in Iran. They became rich, most likely because they stole from the villagers and falsified records, stole lands, etc. Some may have become rich in more decent ways. But they all still owe it to the farmers and villagers who supported the nation while they were amassing money. But these people also hate the uneducated villagers and hate it when one of them becomes the president or something in Iran. So they do what their kids do - start a group an demonstrate in foreign countries and make an ass of themselves in front of everyone.
I can go on. But if you have nay shame by now you get the idea.
Stupid assertions begets sarcastic responses
by Pahlevan on Tue Jan 19, 2010 08:46 PM PSTLOL, mehdi, I was graduated from an Iranian high-school a few years ago and I sometimes help my cousin, a high-school student in North America, with his courses; so I am familiar with curriculum and environment of educational systems in both Iran and North America.
Reading your comment and given what I know about both educational systems leads me to consider two possibilities, either you are completely ignorant about the educational systems in Iran & the U.S., or that despite your knowledge about this matter, you are paid to lie and spread propaganda.
In an Iranian high school you cannot question anything; students are trained to obey and follow the ideology of the regime. Being independent-minded can get you executed. even things like praying and fasting are mandatory for gods sake.
Whereas in North American schools students are encouraged to be independent minded and to question everything rather than following the teacher and the curriculum blindly. Religious courses are arbitrary and diverse and students are brought up to criticize all subjects from politics to religion. And of course they have unrestricted access to the internet and can research all subjects at any time, and actually most of their assignments nowadays involves online researching.
" In the US there is a systemnatic approach which puts government approved idealogies into kids minds. The idea that happiness comes from chemicals and has nothing to do with how you live your life, as an example, is a planned education so as to create far more drug addicts in the society and create a huge consumerism about drugs. When kids start to believe that everything is a chemical reaction, the minds is prepared for mass government experimentation and the traditional ideas of right and wrong start to disappear from society."
The paragraph above is so cooky and crazy that it only deserve the kinds of responses you have been getting so far. These kinds of cooky ideas don't leave any place for rational discussion.
By the way ... you didn't answer my question about your county of residence?
WOW! Agh Metti, did you use any of those Chemicals...
by Khar on Tue Jan 19, 2010 07:13 PM PSTthat you are talking about today? ;-))
Pahlevan: are you saying what I am saying is incorrect?
by Mehdi on Tue Jan 19, 2010 06:34 PM PSTOr do you just name-call and enjoy your ignorance? Let's assume you are right and I am being paid daily by Ahmadinejad himself. What difference does it make in what I said? Would that make it false? Are you saying what I said was false or are you just not paying any attention to it? Let's get over your obsession about who pays me for what. I accept everything you say about that. Now, do you have anything to say about what I said?
Dear Harpi-Eagle
by Pahlevan on Tue Jan 19, 2010 06:12 PM PSTI believe petrodollars are inserted into a certain slot ( if you get my drift ;) ) to make the subject operate.
P.S. Brother Mehdi, I am curious to know about your country of residence ... if that is not too much to ask of course?
Harpi-Eagle: what's eating you?
by Mehdi on Tue Jan 19, 2010 06:03 PM PSTHey, I didn't say it is a good thing, i just pointed out that even in the US child brainwashing is very much in effect. So why do get mad?
Re : Mehdi's Comment
by Harpi-Eagle on Tue Jan 19, 2010 05:26 PM PSTMehdi jaan, one quick question. What exectly is the mechanism that Dr. Ahmadinejad uses to make you talk? Does he pull a dtring or does the good doctor press the remote button ?!! Just cusrious. Please, enlighten us.
Payandeh Iran, our Ahuraie Fatherland.
This applies to any country including USA
by Mehdi on Tue Jan 19, 2010 05:00 PM PSTBrainwashing kids at early age is a very common practice even in the US. Nothing new here. In the US there is a systemnatic approach which puts government approved idealogies into kids minds. The idea that happiness comes from chemicals and has nothing to do with how you live your life, as an example, is a planned education so as to create far more drug addicts in the society and create a huge consumerism about drugs. When kids start to believe that everything is a chemical reaction, the minds is prepared for mass government experimentation and the traditional ideas of right and wrong start to disappear from society. Brainwashing kids is far more prevalent in the US than in Iran.
.......
by yolanda on Tue Jan 19, 2010 12:06 PM PSTIt sounds like systematic and institutionalized brain-washing......it is worse than China's cultural revolution....'cause they plant clerics and basijis at schools.....
Important article
by Monda on Tue Jan 19, 2010 11:45 AM PSTI'm with Khar on this. Thanks Sahar for posting your article here.
it will backfire
by gitdoun ver.2.0 on Tue Jan 19, 2010 10:53 PM PSTwhen these little kids grow up and begin to understand the level of corruption, injustice, and murder taking place in the name of God's Prophet Khamenei (salawatullahu alay walleh) ....they will simply leave this religious cult of wilayat faqhi and begin to protest his rule!!! if this brainwashing tactic was so successful in the 80's then how come the youths are demonstrating now??? the one thing the I.R.I. will never understand u can cover Dog-$hit with the mantle of religion but u can't get rid of it's smell !!!! The smell alone of this brutal corrupt regime causes people to doubt , question, and eventually protest the rule of Wilayat Faqhi.
They are so stupid! You can't keep people in school for ever!
by Anonymouse on Tue Jan 19, 2010 09:57 AM PSTPeople will grow up and graduate from high school and college. Then what? People protesting today are not your average high school and college kids. Sure there are plenty in school but there are just as many out of school/college if not more.
When you leave school and your parents' home, if you can afford it, you start your real life outside school and that's when you realize what a life this regime is cooking up for its citizens.
You can't rule with an iron fist for ever. This is specially true in Iran where previous rulers, all of them, tried to be more ruthless than the one they replaced in order to stay in power.
30 years into Islamic Republic's iron fist rule and their grip on power has cracked. Yeah go ahead and talk to elementry kids and forget the rest!
Everything is sacred.
Reminds me of Mao and his "Cultural Revolution"...
by Khar on Mon Jan 18, 2010 06:51 PM PSTwith that little "Red Book" of his. This regime won’t last that long to be able implement this “Islamic Maoism” fully and see its fruits.
Stay Tuned...