Minister of Science, Research and Technology, Mohammad Farhadi and director and representative of UNESCO Tehran cluster, Esther Kuisch Laroche, in a meeting, agreed on the need for the Iranian National Commission for UNESCO to expand activities and address the challenges to strengthen science and technology.
The cooperation will go beyond Iran’s borders and envisage prospective joint measures in areas of art, culture, pottery, monument preservation and natural science with UNESCO offices in neighboring countries. Also, both sides will support establishment of science and technology parks in Turkmenistan.
Farhadi said scientific education has come a long way since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. “There are five million students studying at Iranian universities now and the number shows a significant upswing since the revolution, indicating 25 times more students than earlier. There are many international students in the country as well, many of whom are sponsored by UNESCO,” he said.
Nevertheless, the number of unemployed graduates is still high and joint-projects will help boost the job market, he added.
