Mohsen Hajimirza’i Criticizes One-Dimensional Nature of Islamic System’s Education

Mohsen Hajimirza’i, former Minister of Education, criticized the one-dimensional nature of the Islamic system’s education and training.

Over the past 45 years, since the triumph of the Islamic Revolution until now, expanding the ideology of the Islamic Republic has been one of the policies of the education organization within the schools and universities. Throughout all these years, education has been under state monopoly, and exclusive education is imposed on the educational system, such that by establishing an educational deputy, student mobilization, sending seminarians to schools, forming mobilization circles and ordering right conduct in schools, there has been an attempt to control the minds of students and the views of teachers. As a result of these actions, the atmosphere of schools and universities became ideological and political, and students and university students had to participate in political, doctrinal, and religious ceremonies.

After years have passed and widespread protests began that marked a popular revolutionary uprising to overthrow the system, many system officials reacted to the system’s performance regarding repressions and joined the people.

In the meantime, Mohsen Hajimirza’i, former Minister of Education, has criticized the ideological pressures that the system has imposed on the country’s education system, as well as after widespread protests began, which included the issue of imposing mandatory hijab, gender segregation in universities, and the removal of specialized professors from other system orders. He said: “The pressures imposed over all these years have not been able to create a one-dimensional generation from the young generation with a radical perspective of the Islamic system.”

He also expressed concern about the new wave of migration of students and even university students and continued: “The main culprit of these people’s migration is the system of governance. Those responsible are people who do not provide the necessary space for work, development, and presenting a bright and hopeful image to the new generation. In my view, those who migrate are not subject to criticism.

We cannot fool ourselves. No one accepts or resists forced behavior, and in practice it will not lead to lasting value. God has entrusted the opportunity of conscious choice and decision-making to individuals, but some in educational institutions want to proceed with a look of necessity and coercion.”

He continued by referring to the unity of the people and their uniformity: “We cannot create uniform people with specific and fixed standards. Therefore, approaches that are pursued in the field of education based on the use of force tools, reluctance, and the imposition of restrictions will not be strategies leading to effective results. It has been experienced many times, and again if we want to repeat this experience, we will not get good results.”

Criticism by system officials and leaders of the Islamic ideological system shows their exhaustion from Islamic rule and the pressures imposed on people, some of whom are their own families. This means that the majority of them have sided with the people and seek to overthrow the Islamic system.