Peace Education in Iran: Challenges and Prospects

Abstract

This article examines peace education in Iran at the primary and secondary levels. It starts by briefly reviewing the fundamental issues that need to be addressed to achieve a culture of peace in any given society, such as cycles in social relations that may establish endemic poverty, violence, and discrimination. The paper highlights the measures necessary to supersede these cycles and social arrangements and examines the need for promotion of peace education and empowerment across all segments of society. Among such measures, peace education is considered essential because it serves the dual roles of advancing awareness and providing capacity and skill to initiate social change. The case of Iran and the challenges that hinder the development of peace education in Iran are then examined. These include a lack of critical and diverse perspectives, lack of understanding on the part of most teachers and peace trainers about the importance of peace and all its aspects, and the content of the Iranian curriculum. Finally, the paper addresses opportunities for peace education in Iran, especially given a new, more open political environment. Such opportunities include the role and impact of women, youth, civil society organisations, and new religious readings favourable to peace.

Keywords::

• peace
• education
• economic and political development
• Iran
• citizenship rights

Notes

²http://www.amar.org.ir/Default.aspx?tabid = 99. Also see Groth (2012).

³ In particular, article 30 of the Constitution provides, ‘The government must provide all citizens with free education up to secondary school, and must expand free higher education to the extent required by the country for attaining self-sufficiency.’

⁴ These include specific religious teachings and rulings relevant to women, and particular courses taught only to female students.

⁵ See, for example, the documents on national education policies and guidelines on the website of the Ministry of Education: http://medu.ir/Portal/Home/Default.aspx?CategoryID = ca78c9d1-def8-4929-a41b-448493e8e91c

⁶ Currently, there are only two textbooks that include short sections on critical thinking (taught at sixth and seventh grades). In addition to textbooks on sociology, religion, and history, there is one textbook on logic, and another one on philosophy which is mostly dedicated to Islamic thought. The textbooks on logic and philosophy are only meant for humanities students.

⁷Motale'ate Ejtemaie (Social Studies): 8–10: http://www.chap.sch.ir/books/1129

⁸ Fallah Nodehi (2009); Fathi Vajargah & Eslami (2008); Hashemi (2010); Naji & Khatibi Moghadam (2011).

⁹ There are short references in the literature textbooks, but these are not reflected in the broader curriculum to imbue students with a sense of belonging to the human family as a whole.

¹⁰Defence Preparedness (Textbook), Second Year of High School (Grade 10): 8.

¹¹http://www.asriran.com/fa/news/267888

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Reza Eslami-Somea

REZA ESLAMI-SOMEA holds a PhD in law and is Associate Professor and Director of the Human Rights Department of Shahid Beheshti University (SBU) Law School in Tehran. His areas of research and teaching include civil and political rights, public liberties, rights of women and minorities, citizenry education, and peace and development. He works closely with civil society in organising workshops and seminars and has travelled often to the US and the Middle East to speak at conferences.

Hooman Movassagh

HOOMAN MOVASSAGH holds a PhD in international law and from 2002 to 2012 taught various courses on international law, human rights, and jurisprudence at SBU Law School. He was also one of the original faculty members of the UNESCO Chair for Human Rights, Peace, and Democracy of SBU from 2001 and was director of the Bioethics Group of that Chair from 2009 to 2012. He has published numerous papers in Farsi and is currently a scholar in residence at the University of Virginia School of Law.