President of Farhangian University: Honoring Student Teachers Must Go Beyond Slogans / A Dignified Teacher in School Is the Product of a Student-Centered University

The President of Farhangian University, at a consultation meeting with faculty members and staff of the Tehran Province branch, outlined the intellectual framework of the “martyred Leader” regarding the education and training system and emphasized the need for strategic shifts in the university’s management. Dr. Mehrzad Hamidi, introducing the “inverted pyramid management” model, identified honoring students and faculty-centered management as the university’s primary priorities for achieving the objectives of the Second Step of the Islamic Revolution Statement and contributing to the development of a new Islamic civilization.

According to the Public Relations Office of Farhangian University, Mehrzad Hamidi, Acting President of Farhangian University, made the remarks during a consultation and friendly meeting with faculty members and staff of Farhangian University in Tehran Province, held on August 28, 2026, at Nasibeh Campus. Paying tribute to the founder of the Islamic Revolution and the martyred Leader, who articulated the theory of a “Strong Iran,” he stated: “Our primary mission is to articulate the intellectual framework of the martyred Leader of the Islamic Revolution in the education and training system and to implement the Second Step of the Islamic Revolution Statement as a strategic charter for civilization-building.”

Referring to the Fundamental Transformation Document of Education, he described the cultivation of a “well-rounded human being” and the achievement of a “virtuous life” as attainable objectives, adding: “According to the statements of the martyred Leader of the Islamic Revolution, teachers are the foundations of the new civilization; therefore, the starting point of this civilization-building process is the competent teacher and, consequently, Farhangian University.”

Hamidi emphasized that, recognizing this strategic position, adversaries seek to undermine Iran’s scientific development and impose restrictions on emerging fields such as artificial intelligence.

Eight Major Policies for Fundamental Transformation

The Acting President of Farhangian University outlined his transformational agenda across eight key areas, based on the country’s upstream policy documents:

1. Planning-oriented management: Rejecting initiatives undertaken without a clear roadmap
2. Quality orientation: Ensuring quality in human resources, curricula and cultural activities
3. Faculty-centered management: Shifting the center of transformation from the central administration to the faculties
4. Inclusive activities: Maximizing student participation in educational and developmental programs
5. Participatory governance: Establishing participatory governance with the involvement of faculty members, staff and students
6. Engagement with the Ministry of Education: Creating a “school-oriented mindset” within the university to prepare effective teachers
7. Academic leadership: Transforming the university into a leading reference for outstanding research and scholarship in education and teacher training
8. Youth empowerment: Providing opportunities for young and energetic faculty members and moving beyond organizational passivity

Implementing the “Inverted Pyramid” Management Model and Honoring Students

Explaining his management model, Hamidi said: “We believe in inverted pyramid management, where the student is at the top, while the university president and the central administration serve the student.”

He emphasized that students must be educated with dignity and respect throughout their university years so that they can maintain their professional standing and dignity in schools.

He also stressed the importance of students’ residential and extracurricular life as a key setting for authentic education and personal development.

Structural Transformation and Human Resource Development

Another part of the meeting focused on the need for decentralization and the transfer of executive authority from the central administration to the provinces. Hamidi announced a “provincial hub” initiative under which each province will assume responsibility for addressing one of the national challenges facing the teacher education system.

He also emphasized improving the faculty-to-student ratio and implementing a professional talent-development initiative inspired by the example of the late Martyr Ayatollah Beheshti. He called for greater recognition and support for faculty members, educational staff and adjunct instructors as an integrated academic community.

Educational Innovation and Transition to the Fourth Generation of Universities

The Acting President of Farhangian University announced plans to establish a school management program to meet the country’s need for qualified school administrators.

He also referred to the modernization of outdated curricula with an emphasis on skills development, the establishment of affiliated schools, and the creation of a science and technology park and educational sciences laboratories.

Hamidi concluded by emphasizing the need to streamline the central administration in favor of the faculties, stating that the university’s future vision is to move beyond education-centered approaches toward a third- and fourth-generation university model, with entrepreneurship and social responsibility at its core.