Transitioning the Iranian University: Addressing the Shift from Educational Ideals to Challenges in Fulfilling Individual and Social Expectations

Document Type : پژوهشی

Author

• Mohammad Amini

Associate Professor, University of Kashan, Kashan, Iran

10.22067/fedu.2023.78680.1199

Abstract

The role and position of the university institution in the economic, social, cultural, and political fields is the attention and emphasis of all relevant experts. Much experimental and research evidence also confirms this fact. However, it seems that this important institution in Iran is facing many problems. In this article, one of the main cognitive or intellectual factors of the existing problems of higher education in Iran has been explained and conceptualized. This problem shows the neglect of the nature, concept, and central theme of the process of human education in Iranian universities and reducing it to an ideological and government-oriented process, as a result of which the needs and interests of students as well as social expectations from the university (at the local, regional and national levels) has been neglected. This article is an initial attempt to pay the attention of the country's higher education policymakers and planners to a deeper understanding of educational and training processes and to provide its various contexts, requirements, and requirements in academic environments. The findings of this descriptive and analytical study showed that education in the university centers of the country has become a process that has little effect on students due to various reasons, especially the adoption of quantity-oriented policies and neglect of the qualitative aspects of education. In other words, the education process in practice has not been able to in its original meaning, i.e. all-round growth and perfection, free, conscious, and critical understanding and acceptance of concepts and values and their application in the individual and social behavior of students, As a result, this education unable to fulfill his personal and social expectations.
Keywords: Iranian University, Education, Students, Higher Education Policy, Learning.
Synopsis
There is no doubt about the positive role and functions of the institution of university and higher education in the sustainable growth and development of human societies in various economic, cultural, social, political, and educational dimensions. A set of scientific and research evidence supports the fact that higher education can provide the necessary platforms for improving the individual life and social excellence of any society. Therefore, the university, as one of the important infrastructures of the educational system of every country, performs basic functions, and governments have always drawn ideals and determined various directions for the effectiveness of these centers (Abdi et al., 2018).
But despite the positive functions of the university in various fields, it seems that this important educational institution is facing certain problems in the cultural and educational structure of our country. The dominance of quantity over quality, politicization, the dominance of bureaucratic means over its cultural and social dimensions, lack of independence, freedom and security, degree orientation, lack of appropriateness of educational programs, and... is among the criticisms that are given to universities in Iran (Khosravi et al., 2020).  At the same time, it should be noted this important point regarding the formation of higher education institutions in Iran that, unlike European societies where the modern university arose and flourished from within the integrated Christian tradition, in Iran the old schools and Islamic seminaries themselves continued and along with that, modern educational institutions were formed and attached to the traditional society. Therefore, this feature caused wide-ranging conflicts between these institutions and traditional sections of society (Zakersalehi, 2017).
In a realistic view, it can be said that an interactive and complex set of intellectual or epistemological, structural, managerial, administrative, and executive factors have played a role in the emergence and continuation of the problems of higher education in Iran. In this article, what has been given the most attention and tried to be conceptualized from a philosophical point of view as one of the main epistemic or intellectual factors of the existing problems, is to ignore, forget, and marginalize the real concept of education and its conditions and requirements in the country's higher education centers. In practice, this contradiction has led to the fact that the educational processes of this important institution are implemented formally and superficially in learning situations and do not have much effect on creating deep scientific and moral changes in the personality structure of students.
The precision in the definitions and explanations provided by various experts about education indicates the fact that this concept and process generally refers to desirable meanings such as establishing and growing a set of human values, excellent qualities, and moral merits and virtues in learners. Emphasis on the values of learners is because education is the most important social movement aimed at the conscious and voluntary transformation of individuals' personalities towards desirable ideals and values. For this reason, it had a serious interaction with the culture of society (Sadeghzadeh Ghamsari, 2012). However, the set of facts about the country's higher education shows that the current performance of the country's universities is not consistent with the above definition and understanding of the concept of education.
It seems that the implementation of the concept of real education in the country's educational centers, including higher education, will be achieved when a set of necessary prerequisites are scientifically considered in practice. When students in the university are usually faced with a pre-determined curriculum in which the views, interests, perceptions, and expectations of students are not given much attention, and they must necessarily study this prescribed curriculum to be promoted to higher levels, it is obvious that in such conditions, there is not much possibility to realize the original concept of education and the development of students' internal capabilities.
Also, it is possible to mention the participation of students in university teaching and learning processes. As the formal education of the university pays less attention to the student's interests and motivations, it is not a suitable opportunity for their real involvement and participation, and the result and output of the education are not internalized in the students and do not create a meaningful change in them. On the other hand, serious attention should be paid to the policy-making and decision-making processes in the country's higher education system and its problems. The fact is that the changes that have occurred in our country's higher education system in recent years, especially due to its mushroom-like and quantitative growth in different parts of the country, have caused an immense erosion of the institution of Iranian universities.  What has been observed and experienced in this field is the result of a type of wrong policy-making and unbalanced planning unrelated to the needs and realities of the Iranian society, with little attention to scientific and basic processes such as land preparation, feasibility and needs assessment, lack of comprehensive attention to the variables related to the environmental realities and emphasizing only on the construction and establishment of a university unit and after that accepting and registering candidates for university studies.
In addition, the prescriptive, hierarchical structure with its ideological concerns is not compatible with the spirit and main function of higher education, which is based on truth-seeking, criticism, questioning, and challenging various phenomena. The ideological view of the university is in serious conflict with the fundamental duties and functions of the institution of higher education. Therefore, this educational structure cannot attract the active participation, interest, and attention of the generation of students. As a result, part of this disinterest and boredom is manifested in the passive attitude of students towards
the formal educational processes of the university.
Conclusion
For education to regain its true essence within Iranian universities, substantial transformations are imperative across various dimensions. Among the most critical aspects is the shift from a quantity-driven approach to a quality-driven one in Iran's higher education. This entails fundamental changes in higher education strategies, fostering flexibility in policy-making and decision processes, reducing centralization and government intervention in universities, revising curricula to align with student perspectives and societal needs, and implementing quality-focused plans for faculty members' professional development. These considerations are pivotal in revitalizing the essence and core values of education within the country's higher education system.

Keywords

• Iranian University
• Education
• Students
• Higher Education Policy
• Learning

Main Subjects

• Educational Philosophy

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