Schools and universities across Iran reopened on Sunday at the start of the new academic year, with students resuming their studies and first-graders initiating their formal education.
President Hassan Rouhani delivered a speech on the occasion in a girls' high school in Tehran, highlighting the weighty responsibilities of the educational system and new requirements for its more efficient operation.
"The gap between [what is taught at] homes and schools should be narrowed … to avoid inconsistency and confusion in students' worldview," Rouhani was quoted as saying by the Presidential Office's website.
A broad difference between what is considered a value at home and at school would cause social problems regarding ethics, public behavior and human relations, he added.
Rouhani stressed that the beginning of the school year should be a delightful moment for students rather than a gloomy occasion.
He called on parents, teachers, authorities and all other relevant sectors to make efforts "so that students welcome schools' reopening with excitement".
Need to Uphold Moral Values
It is also essential, according to Rouhani, that the educational system illustrate that "there is no difference between men and women".
"This will not be achieved by spelling words, but it has to be taught in practice at schools so that women are esteemed everywhere," he said.
The president pointed to the "unacceptable manner of conversation and debate among Iranians in cyberspace", underscoring the importance of training children to respect one another at the early stage of school.
Iranian schools have been long criticized for overloading students with theoretical knowledge while failing to teach them practical skills.
Rouhani emphasized that schools need to focus on skills as well as information.
"Besides the marks in students' report cards, room should be provided for the assessment of skills they have acquired during the year," he said.
This September, according to the president, students will be asked what skills they acquired in the previous year and what their expectations are in this regard at present.
"They will also have to answer which teachers helped them better with practical knowledge and what skills were more useful for them," he said.
This indicates that the educational system is taking the initial steps toward preparing children to enter the labor market as soon as they leave school.
"Instead of merely filling their heads with course book materials, students should learn to think, criticize and express their own opinions," he said, adding that students should be allowed to review and analyze their course books and fair criticism should be rewarded.
At the end of his speech, Rouhani urged education authorities to trust students and give them major responsibilities.
"School students should feel that they can perform important jobs," he said.
