Official: Number of Iranian university students 20-folded after revolution

Deputy Science, Research and Technology minister said here Monday number of university students in Iran today has increased twenty times their number in pre-revolution era.According to the IRNA Monday Night News Team, Hossein Naderimansh added at the joint opening ceremony of Seyyed Jamal University and Faculty of Medical Sciences of Assadabad University, “Before the victory of the Islamic Revolution there were 175,000 university students studying at country’s 200 scientific and higher education centers, but today, among the blessings of the Islamic Republic of Iran, we have over 4 million and 200 thousand students studying at Iran’s 400 active universities and other higher education scientific centers.” He meanwhile reiterated, “Today, the Islamic Revolution of Iran, thanks to the blessings of the Glorious Qur’an, the dear Islam, and the blood of martyrs, and above all, the Leadership of the Supreme Source of Jurisprudence (Velayat-e Faqih) and taking advantage of the indigenous science of our scientists, we have managed to rank scientifically as one of the top seven countries of the world from the scientific and technological points of the view.” He said that Iran is also among the top countries in the world from the viewpoint of the percentage of its university students compared to their total population, which is 5,000 university students in each 100 thousand Iranians, that shows the high level of this land’s talents and their high enthusiasm for acquiring scientific knowledge. The deputy science minister in academic affairs said, “Iran’s scientific qualitative and quantitative growth rate, despite the lingering 30-year sanctions, has shocked enemies.” He said that attracting one million students at MS and MA level is among the most important moves made in that respect, adding, “Thanks to the efforts made in this respect, enrolling students in MA and MS levels has been 60-fold increased compared to the pre-revolution era.” Naderimanesh informed the audience that in the course of the upcoming two years the country’s universities would employ 15 thousand new scientific faculty members, reiterating, “This would happen in line with just distribution of academic and scientific centers throughout the country.” He said that the average percentage of university students to the provincial population in Hamedan Province is higher than the respective national percentage, adding, “There are now six thousand university students per each 100 thousand people in Hamedan Province, which is proof for high scientific competence of this region.” Naderimansh said that the establishment of Seyyed Jamaleddin University has been a pride for the western part of Iran, adding, “Definitely, the global position of Seyyed Jamaleddin University would in very near future turn it to one of the world’s most important scientific and strategic centers in the world and this is the best opportunity for Hamedan Province and for the western parts of Iran for achieving the sustainable development status.” He said that the agreement of the government with the establishment of Seyyed Jamaleddin University in Assadabad is due to the justice seeking approach of the country’s officials, their support for the plans proposed by the provincial authorities, and the persevering pursuance of Assadabad officials are the effective factors in establishment of this great university, adding, “Assadabad has paved the path of 20 years in the course of a singe year, and that is thanks to the blessings of the Islamic Revolution.” A number of top Iranian officials, provincial authorities, and Kermanshah managers were present at the prestigious ceremony at whose end the service orders of the President of Seyyed Jamaleddin University and the Head of the Faculty of Medical Sciences of Assadabad University were read for the audience, followed by the official opening of those two provincial academic centers. Seyyed Jamaleddin University began its scientific activities with the capacity of two of its nominally scheduled ten faculties, namely its Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and Faculty of Technical and Engineering Sciences, in agricultural engineering, agricultural economics, computer engineering, and software sciences, with 70 students. Faculty of Medical Sciences of Assadabad University, too, began its academic activities in nursing and general health engineering disciplines with 52 students.