President Hassan Rouhani stressed the need to create favorable conditions for the public to assume a bigger role in managing the country's affairs.
"The Islamic Azad University proved that if affairs are handed over to the public to handle, it will facilitate development and the realization of the country's goals," IRNA quoted Rouhani as saying.
People and experts should be involved in managing the country and "the government's role should be limited to policy making, paving the way (for development), providing support and monitoring."
He made the remarks in his speech at a ceremony to commemorate the 32nd anniversary of the establishment of the Islamic Azad University in Tehran on Tuesday.
He praised Chairman of the Expediency Council Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani for his efforts to help set up the university, saying, "Founding the Azad University was a big stride and one of the greatest initiatives taken by Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani in line with the country's development."
"If it had not been for the efforts by Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani, the late Imam Khomeini and the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, the Azad University would not have had such a great record."
He called on authorities to strive to build up a welcoming environment for constructive criticism by students in universities, saying that criticism is a means of identifying and drawing attention to the shortages and defects hindering the country’s progress.
He criticized some organizations for their undue interference in university affairs, saying, “The prevalence of scientific freedom and academic independence in universities is of paramount importance.”
“A university which is deprived of the two pillars of independence and freedom is dead,” he noted.
Rouhani stressed that despite the remarkable performance of the Azad University in terms of the quantity of its graduates, special attention should be directed at improving the quality of the education it provides.
Efforts should be made to help foster the link between universities and industries, he added.
