Average Education Level in Iran

Average Education Level in Iran

NOTE: This Education Profile is Predicated on an Earlier Version  by Nick Clark. It's Been Revised as of February 2020 to Reflect the Foremost Current Available Information.

INTRODUCTION

Despite the top of international nuclear sanctions in 2016, Iran’s economy remains unstable. High youth unemployment, even among college graduates, and out-migration of skilled citizens are just two of the continued challenges. within the education sector, a severe shortage of seats at the postgraduate level has served as a prompt for substantial numbers of Iranian nationals to hunt education abroad. a mixture of shifting demographics and a rapid massification of the country’s private education sector may reverse that trend within the coming years, but within the short term a minimum of, the outbound mobility of the many Iranian students is probably going to stay unchecked.

Average Education Level in Iran

In this article, we provide a summary of Iranian student mobility and Iran’s education system and supply insight into the way to evaluate common academic credentials at both the secondary and tertiary levels. Readers should note that despite recent shifts in diplomacy, Iran remains relatively closed to the Western world. Current information about some aspects of the country’s education system can, as a result, be difficult to get.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENT MOBILITY

Iran’s education sector has undergone tremendous growth in recent years. The country has seen a rapid expansion of the private sector and is now home to two of the ten largest universities within the world. However, most of the expansion happened at the undergraduate level. At the graduate level, there are still far too few programs to accommodate demand, an element that drives considerable outbound mobility among Iranian students.

More than 48,000 Iranian students were studying abroad in 2014, consistent with figures published by the UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS). The 2014 total represents a 78 percent increase over 2008 numbers when slightly below 27,000 Iranian nationals were enrolled at foreign institutions of upper education.

The 2016 removal of nuclear-related UN sanctions, which has the potential to accelerate Iran’s already strong outbound international student mobility numbers, has given rise to widespread speculation that the country may become a good more substantial marketplace for international education.

Iranian Students within the U.S.

In us, the amount of Iranian students over the years has fluctuated from as many as 51,310 in 1979/80 (at which point Iran was leading place of origin for international students enrolled in U.S. institutions) to as low as 1,844 in 2000/01. within the 2015/16 academic year, 12,269 Iranian students were enrolled within the U.S., consistent with the Institute of International Education’s Open Doors report. This number represents a 118 percent increase compared to 2010/2011. The overwhelming majority of Iranian nationals on U.S. campuses in 2015/16 – 77 percent – were enrolled at the graduate level. Most were studying in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics).

The rise and fall and rise of Iranian enrollments within the U.S. are a testament to the impact that geopolitical factors and diplomatic relationships wear on Iranian student mobility trends. While recent years have seen a resurgence in numbers, immigration policies under the new administration, are likely to discourage additional enrollments within the near-term future. (For the history and future prospects of Iranian students within the U.S. see our in-depth analysis during this month’s issue of WENR).

IRAN’S EDUCATION SYSTEM: ADMINISTRATION, FUNDING, LITERACY, AND ENROLLMENT

Administration

Iran may be a theocracy supported Islamist ideology: the central government exerts strong control over education.

The central government is liable for the financing and administration of elementary and education through the Ministry of Education, which supervises national examinations, monitors standards, organizes teacher training, develops curricula and academic materials, and builds and maintains schools. Education policies are approved and overseen by a variety of bodies including Iran’s parliament and therefore the cabinet of ministers. The Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution, a body appointed by and reporting to Iran’s Supreme Leader, is that the highest authority in educational affairs and wields far-reaching control over policies and regulations.

At the local level, education is supervised through the provincial authorities and therefore the district offices.

Funding

According to UNESCO statistics published by the planet Bank, Iran in 2014 spent 2.95 percent of its GDP on education in the least levels. This number represents 19.7 percent of all government expenditures – a comparatively high percentage by international comparison. Globally, governments spent a mean of 14.25 percent of total expenditures on education in 2012.

Literacy and Enrollment Rates

Iran features a high literacy rate by regional standards, and as compared to several other countries at similar levels of development, maybe a very educated society. The country’s adult literacy rate stood at 84.6 percent in 2013 (UNESCO), compared to 85 percent worldwide and 78 percent within the neighboring Arab states [1]. The literacy rate among 15-24 year-olds is even higher at 98 percent (2015).

The net enrollment rate at the elementary level (percentage of pupils in the official school age group) was again high by regional standards: 99.1 percent in 2015. The completion rate to the top of education was 97.53 percent in 2014 (percentage of relevant age bracket finishing grade 5 ). consistent with UNESCO, the gross enrollment rate at the secondary level (percentage of all students including older students) was 89.17 percent in 2015. The gross secondary enrollment rate in neighboring Pakistan, by comparison, was 44.53 percent in 2015.

BASIC EDUCATION (DABESTAN AND DOREH-E RAHNAMA-II)

Basic education lasts until grade 9 and is compulsory, and within the public establishment, free.

Before 2012, the essential education cycle lasted 8 years and was divided into a five-year education cycle (Dagestan) and a three-year lower secondary, or guidance, cycle (more-e Panama-ii). Reforms adopted in 2012 have since then extended the elementary cycle to six years, lengthening basic education to a complete of 9 years, although most students presently still study under the old structure.

During grade school, students attend 24 hours of sophistication per week. The curriculum covers Islamic studies, Persian studies – reading, writing, and comprehension – social studies, mathematics, and science.

At the lower secondary or guidance level, subjects like history, vocational studies, Arabic, and foreign languages are introduced, and students attend more hours of sophistication hebdomadally. The curriculum at this level is national and consistent across all schools.

Examinations

Students take exit examinations at the top of grades 6 and 9 (grades 5 and eight within the old system). Assessment at the top of the lower secondary cycle is meant to work out students’ preparation for and placement in one among three streams at the upper-secondary level: academic, technical or vocational. Students who fail need to repeat the year and should take the examination again the subsequent year. If students fail a second time, they need to either undertake basic vocational education or seek employment. The examinations are held in June at the top of every school year and that they are conducted by provincial education authorities. Successful students are awarded a Certificate of General Education.

Depending on grades achieved within the relevant subjects at the top of the guidance cycle, students are eligible to continue their education within the academic or vocational/technical branches of the secondary cycle.

UPPER SECONDARY (DABIRESTAN)

Upper education is presently three years long – from grade 9 to grade 11 (grade 10 to 12 within the new system). Upper education isn't compulsory but is free at public schools. At this level, students are segmented into three fields (or streams) of the education system: academic (Nazari), technical (Fani Hefei), and vocational/skills (Kar-Danesh). A student’s stream depends totally on his or her examination results at the top of the lower secondary cycle, and to a lesser extent on student preference. the tutorial stream has traditionally been the foremost popular.

The Academic and Technical Streams

During the primary two years, students within the academic and technical stream follow a standard curriculum (although load varies slightly by branch) with the third year that specializes in a specialized curriculum.

Students within the academic stream study one among four subject areas in their final year: Humanities & literature, mathematics & physics, experimental sciences, or Islamic theology. (There was previously a fifth specialty focused on socio-economic issues.)

Students within the technical stream follow one among three specializations: Technical (industry), business & vocational (service industry), or agriculture. Sub-specializations include fields such as woodworking/carpentry, auto mechanics, building and construction, food industries, health services, and tailoring.

Students from the tutorial and technical streams are awarded the Diplom-Motevaseteh (certificate of completion of lyceum studies) upon successful completion of studies and after passing the national examination. Graduates either continue on to a final pre-university year of education or prefer to enter the workforce.

The Vocational Stream

The skills or vocational stream is more practice-oriented and results in the award of a skills certificate (Diplome Kardanesh) within the trade/profession studied. Training for skilled or and semi-skilled employment is provided in 400 areas of specialization. Some vocational students at this level enroll in five-year integrated associate diploma programs at technical institutes. The degree awarded at the top of the five-year stream is that the Kardani or Fogh Diplom.

PRE-UNIVERSITY YEAR (PISH-DANESHGAHI)

The pre-university year may be a preparatory year for college kids who decide to take Iran’s standardized university entrance examinations, the Konkur (or Concours), required for admission into most university programs. The pre-university year originally evolved before 2012, and can eventually be incorporated into the new 12-year 6+3+3 system, so that graduates can sit for entrance examinations without first completing a further year of pre-university study. For now, however, the extra year remains a requirement for anyone who wants to take a seat for the Konkan.

During the pre-university year, students concentrate on a selected field of study (math, experimental sciences, humanities, art, or Islamic culture). Students are taught at pre-university centers administered by the Ministry of Education. they're graded by continuous assessment and by final exam (accounting for 75 percent of the general grade.) Successful students are awarded the Pre-University Certificate and entitled to take a seat for the Konkur for university admission.

The Konkan: Iran’s Standardized Admissions Examination

Entry to Iran’s tuition-free public universities is predicated on the very competitive University entrance exam referred to as the Konkur or Concours. Many private universities also use this examination for admission purposes. One notable exception is that the semi-private Islamic Azad University (IAU), the country’s largest university. IAU administers its own entrance examination, which is extremely almost like the Konkan. The university, which charges tuition fees and enrolls over 1.7 million students at its campuses around the country, isn't nearly as competitive to urge into as public universities.

Administered in June per annum, the Konkur exam, a 4.5-hour multiple-choice comprehensive examination, is demanding. The exam tests student knowledge of Persian language and literature, history, a far off language, and arithmetic. people who fail are allowed to repeat until they pass. Top students usually enter the engineering and medical fields. Given the competitive nature of the examination, a cram industry providing exam-preparation classes thrives in Iran, giving rise to widespread criticism of the examination and its negative impact on school instruction, the last year of which is actually focused on taking and spending the exam. As a result, authorities still check out reforming the system and replacing the Konkan. One option into account is that the use of a cumulative mark average of the ultimate three years of lyceum.

Associate degree programs don't require the Konkur examination for admission, but some programs have a separate entrance exam. there's a separate Konkur examination for entry into graduate programs.

HIGHER EDUCATION IN IRAN

Higher Education Institutions: Types, Supervision, and Quality Assurance

Higher education is obtainable at the subsequent sorts of institutions:

Universities

General/Comprehensive

Specialized (fine arts, engineering, medicine)

Comprehensive Technology (applied sciences)

Payam-e Noor University (distance learning)

Medical

Private

Teacher Training Colleges

Technical Institutes and better Education Institutes (non-university)

All institutions of upper education, except medical institutions, are under the supervision of the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology. Medical universities are supervised by the Ministry of Health, Treatment and Medical Education. Post-secondary vocational training is overseen by the Technical and vocational education Organization. All programs at private universities must be approved by the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution and recognized by the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology. Quality assurance of upper education institutions comes under the auspices of the Ministry of Science, Research, and Technology. Concrete information on the method and methods of assessment isn't available.

Universities: Past and Present

After the Islamic revolution of 1979, the govt closed most universities in Iran. Closures lasted from 1980 and 1983, during which period the curriculum was revised. The university system meanwhile was nationalized and desecularized. The Islamist government held an unfavorable view of personal education and didn't allow private institutions to work for nearly ten years after the revolution (with the notable exception of Islamic Azad University). [3]

Today Iran’s university system includes both public and personal universities. Universities are composed of largely autonomous faculties (daneshkadeh). The overwhelming majority of programs at private institutions are at the undergraduate level, and Iran currently faces a shortage of educational opportunities at the graduate level, an element that has contributed to the out-migration of educational elites. Only six percent of roughly 900,000 applicants to Master programs and 4 percent of 127,000 doctoral applicants reportedly secured a spot in 2011.[4]

Public education in Iran

Iran’s public universities have a comparatively good reputation, particularly for undergraduate education in engineering. The University of Tehran is ranked by the tutorial Ranking of World Universities together of the highest 400 universities within the world (301-400). The Amirkabir University of Technology is listed among the highest 500 universities within the same ranking (401-500). The Sharif University of Technology has appeared on the list in previous years and is presently ranked by Times education among the highest 600 universities within the world (501-600).

In the past, Iran’s education sector had far too few seats to fill demand, with admission rates at public universities as low as 12 percent within the last decade. Entry into public institutions remains competitive, although the worst of the capacity crisis has been addressed by the rapid massification of Iran’s private education sector. In 2013, 57.9 percent of the 921,386 students taking the Konkur exam were admitted to the public university.

Entry into STEM programs remains especially competitive.

Private Education in Iran

By the top of the 1980s, an exploding youth demographic led Iran’s government to reassess its prohibition on private universities, and in 1988, it permitted non-profit private universities to use for charters to work.

The number of personal education institutions in Iran has increased drastically since then. Iran’s Ministry of upper Education and Research presently lists 51 public universities on its website. In 1977, by comparison, Iran had only 16 universities with a reported number of 154,315 students. The Ministry’s website doesn't provide information on the number of institutions within the dynamic private sector, but some reports suggest a rapid increase from 50 private HEIs in 2005 to 354 in 2014, a rise of quite 600 percent in but 10 years. The overwhelming majority of Iran’s students are enrolled within the private sector. quite one-third of all Iranian students attend the semi-private Islamic Azad University (IAU), Iran’s largest university and simultaneously one among the most important mega universities within the world with 1.7 million students.

Nurtured by former Iranian president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, IAU was established in 1984 because the first non-governmental education institution to deal with the unmet and escalating demand for education. “Azad” means free in Persian and refers to the very fact that the university provides “open access” compared to the highly competitive public universities. Admission to IAU is far easier than gaining entry to Iran’s public universities. IAU charges high tuition fees. Despite this funding structure, the university is, however, not a purely private institution. the govt maintains oversight on degree programs and controls important aspects of the university administration.

Over the past three decades, IAU has grown to become a better education empire spanning 400 campuses across Iran and overseas campuses within the uk, the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon and Afghanistan. Other prominent private universities include Shahrood University of Medical Sciences and Qom University.

As in other developing countries that have undergone an identical process of massification, this mushrooming of personal providers is amid concerns about educational quality and reports of shortcomings in facilities and therefore the qualifications and training of teaching staff.

Technical Institutes and Better Education Institutes

Iran’s education system includes multiple sorts of post-secondary educational options additionally to universities. Technical Institutes and regional centers for vocational training are two. Iran’s Technical and vocational education Organization (TVTO) under the Ministry of Cooperatives, Labor and welfare, supervises some 6oo of those institutions, consistent with the institution’s website. Post-secondary training is additionally provided by licensed private training providers and technical institutes affiliated to Iran’s public Technical and Vocational University and therefore the University of Applied Sciences and Technology. These technical institutes offer non-formal short-term vocational education programs, also as associate-level qualifications.

Another group of non-university institutions, Iran’s so-called “higher education institutes,” were mostly upgraded to universities within the 1980s and 1990s.

UNDERGRADUATE DEGREES AND QUALIFICATIONS

Associate Degree (Kardani – formerly Fogh Diplom)

Cardani programs are presently offered as either five-year integrated secondary and tertiary programs or as two- to three-year postsecondary qualifications. Cardani programs entail the completion of 72-78 credits for graduation, with one credit being adequate to a 45/50-minute class over one semester.

Cardani degrees are awarded by universities, education institutes, and technical institutes. Cardani degree-holders have the choice to finish a Karshenasi degree (the equivalent of a bachelor’s degree within the U.S.) in two years. (Additional detail below.)

Entry to integrated Kardani programs is predicated on the successful completion of basic education in grade 8 (grade 9 under the new system). The program consists of three years of education within the vocational/technical stream, followed by two years at a university or institute of upper education. Students who complete the primary three years of the program and choose to not continue to graduate with a technical high school diploma. those that complete the five-year program can, if they choose, obtain advanced standing into a bachelor program at a university of technology (typically the third year).

Entry into Kardani programs from lyceum is predicated on the completion of upper secondary education(grade 11) and, in some instances, passing an entrance exam. Completion of the pre-university year isn't required.

Bachelor (Karshenasi)

The Karshenasi degree is structurally almost like a U.S. bachelor’s degree. Previously referred to as the Licence, the Karshenasi requires a minimum of 130 credits at a university or other institution of upper education and a minimum of 4 years of full-time study. Students must achieve a minimum mark average of 12 out of 20 to earn the degree.

Undergraduate curricula offer a good range of general education and elective subjects alongside the degree specialization, which usually is concentrated within the last two years of the program.

Karshenasi programs also are offered as short two-year programs on top of a Kardani degree. These programs are referred to as Karshenasi Napayvasteh (non-continuous degree) and offer holders of Kardani degrees the choice to continue their education and complete a Karshenasi degree in two years.

MASTER’S DEGREES (KARSHENASI ARSHAD)

Following the Karshenasi, the Iranian system features a postgraduate Karshenasi Arshad degree (previously referred to as Fogh Licence or Fogh Lisans). The award of the credential typically requires 28 to 45 credits, counting on the program, with an overall GPA of 14/20 or better, and therefore the completion of a thesis.

Programs are generally two years long. These postgraduate degrees are mentioned as “non-continuous master degrees” (Karshenasi-Arshad Napayvasteh) as against “continuous master degrees” (Karshenasi-Arshad Payvesteh) found within the professions. (Additional detail below.)

NOTE: In recent years, there has been a rise of Western-style Master of Business Administration and Doctor of Business Administration programs offered by both public and personal universities in Iran.

Of note for credential, evaluators are that the incontrovertible fact that private sector programs may sometimes be of questionable quality and sometimes exempt students from academic course work on the idea of practical work experience.

DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (DOKTURA)

Doctoral degrees require the completion of 12-30 credits of coursework, a comprehensive examination, publication and defense of a search dissertation, and an overall coursework GPA of 14/20 for the award of the degree. The program duration is between three and 6 years.

PROFESSIONAL DEGREES (DOKTURA OR KARSHENASI-ARSHAD PAYVESTEH)

Professional degree programs in Iran are long, “continuous” programs that students enter after completion of a pre-university year. Admission to professional programs in Iran is extremely competitive and requires high scores within the national Konkur exam.

Professional degree programs are of variable lengths, counting on the sector of study. Professional degree programs in dentistry, pharmacy, and medicine require six years of full-time study. Medical degrees require seven years. Most programs cause the award of a “Doktura” (doctor) degree within the relevant profession. Degree programs require between 190 and 290 credits, also as clinical internships, and a thesis, counting on the profession.

The Karshenasi-Arshad Payvesteh may be a unified degree that's structurally almost like professional Doktura programs, that's awarded to graduates who enter professions like architecture.

TEACHER EDUCATION

Teacher education in Iran is conducted at public institutions exclusively. Teacher Training Centers are liable for training teachers for elementary and lower secondary (guidance) schools. These centers offer two-year programs resulting in a Kardani degree.

To show at the upper secondary level, instructors must have a Karshenasi degree. Teachers at the upper secondary level are trained in universities and teacher-training colleges.

Only one university, the University of Tarbiat Modarres, is devoted to the graduate-level training of university instructors. Ranked the runner-up university in Iran by the Ministry of Education, the university awards masters and doctoral degrees.

ASSESSMENT AND GRADING

A 0-20 scale is employed in the least levels of education throughout the country. Students at the upper education level are assessed by examination at the top of every semester. The minimum passing grade for undergraduate courses is 10, for graduate courses 12, and for doctoral coursework 14; however, overall GPAs of 12, 14, and 14 are required for the award of the respective degrees.

WES suggests the subsequent grading equivalencies for higher education:

DOCUMENT REQUIREMENTS FOR CREDENTIAL EVALUATION

Iranian institutions will provide degree certificates, diplomas, and academic transcripts upon request.

At the secondary level, WES requires photocopies of the graduation certificate and secondary transcripts issued and sent on to WES by the Ministry of Education.

At the tertiary level, WES requires applicants to submit copies of all final degree certificates issued by the institutions attended. additionally, WES requires that academic transcripts for all post-secondary programs of study be sent directly by the institutions attended.

For completed doctoral programs, WES requires a letter confirming the awarding of the degree to be sent directly by the institutions attended.

Several universities issue documents in English: Sharif University of Technology, Shiraz University, Tehran University, Isfahan University, Tabriz University, and Amir Kabir University. (Engineering programs at several universities also issue documents in English.)

English translations are usually authorized by the Ministry of Justice of the Islamic Republic of Iran and sealed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Registration and private Status Department. However, authorized translations don't provide confirmation of the authenticity of educational credentials.