By Bill SamiiRadio Free Europe / Radio Liberty 9-24-04
| "Now YOU can have a degree from a PRESTIGIOUS NON-ACCREDITED UNIVERSITY without attending classes, without cracking a book! Masters, Doctorates, even PhD's — we have them all!" |
President Hojatoleslam Mohammad Khatami marked the 22 September beginning of the Iranian academic year with a speech in which he said his administration has done everything within its power to improve the state of the education sector, state radio reported. Yet recent reports about the activities of a foreign university's Iranian branch reflect several problems that have not been resolved.
First, this reflects the hope that a university education will make it easier to get a job in a country with double-digit unemployment. Second, this reflects the tremendous demand for a limited number of university places -- young Iranians surveyed recently described their greatest problem after employment as the university entrance exam, the Iranian Labor News Agency (ILNA) reported on 1 May. Third, it reflects a corrupt system in which state officials use fake academic credentials to receive higher salaries.
Tehran Province Justice Department spokesman Abbasali Alizadeh said on 14 September that the Ministry of Science, Research, and Technology does not recognize degrees from the American University of Hawaii, the Islamic Republic of Iran News Network reported. The university, which utilizes distance learning and has its worldwide headquarters in Hawaii, has offices in Tehran (see the institution's website at http://www.auhiran.com). A few days earlier, Alizadeh said the institution's chancellor, Ardeshir Qassemlu, is banned from leaving Iran and his accounts have been frozen, "Resalat" reported on 9 September. |