Iranian President Hassan Rouhani urged the country’s higher education institutions to open up to more foreign students and staff, as well as giving a ringing endorsement for study abroad, in a nationally televised speech marking the beginning of the academic year.
In his speech at Tehran University, Rouhani addressed the antipathy felt by some political groups towards international exchange.
“At least create one university that has English as the main language so that we can attract foreign students”
“Some people say that if we have contact with the outside world, if our teachers go abroad and their professors come here, maybe someone will be a spy among them,” he said. “Stop making excuses!”
“At least create one university that has English as the main language so that we can attract foreign students,” he continued.
He also stressed the need for incoming students to fill “empty seats” on some courses of study.
“I’m not saying let’s start from those places that are scary to some people,” he elaborated. “Let’s just start with our neighbours.”
Rouhani, who studied at Glasgow Caledonian University, also implored universities to encourage students to study abroad, perhaps considering fears about brain drain when students fail to return home when suggesting they “let our students go abroad for a term”.
The Omid Trust, which provides scholarships for Iranian students studying in the UK, contends that the number of ministers in the Iranian cabinet who have studied abroad “stands in stark contrast to the chimera of the ‘brain drain’.”
“We are delighted that President Rouhani recognizes the value of studying abroad and has drawn attention to the world-renowned research that is undertaken in Iranian universities every day,” a spokesperson for the Trust told The PIE News.
“Iran boasts countless talented students and academics, many of whom are capable of excelling at the world’s top universities,” they commented.
The British Council also welcomed Rouhani’s remarks. Danny Whitehead, British Council Iran Director, told The PIE News that wider access to study abroad will create “long and short-term mutual benefit” for Iranian students and their host institutions.
However, he urged caution: “We also recognise that Iran has suffered from significant brain drain, particularly in the past 15 years, and we would encourage all stakeholders to look towards initiatives which would support the return of much of the benefit to Iran after study abroad.”
“We would also welcome greater opportunities for UK and other students and academics to travel to Iran for joint research and study, to learn from their Iranian colleagues and counterparts,” he added.
