Nuclear proliferation in Iran isn’t the only issue we’re facing.
Azad University is at the center of this battle between the Leader and the President of Iran. For many reasons, Azad University is a key asset to control for its people (it educates over 1 million students), its politics (it has traditionally been a safe haven for opposition to the government) and its power (Azad’s assets total 250 billion dollars).

The article goes much further into the internal Iranian political realm than I would dare to, but please do read more about that if you like.

My focus here is to bring this to light and keep it on the radar of educators here in the US. The struggle to control this university, and all that it represents, speaks to the importance of education and its transformative powers. To those with political power, the power of education can pose a threat. And President Ahmadinejad wants to eliminate that threat by cracking down on what students are allowed to learn and what they are allowed to think.

If Ahmadinejad is allowed to control the education system (note that I said ‘control’ not just ‘regulate’) then Iran can say goodbye to reform and change. Historically, colleges and universities have been the incubator for ideas and ideologies. Education has been proven time and time again to further a nation’s growth and prosperity, when both quantity and quality are sufficient.

If the Iranian government – let’s just say it, dictators – are allowed to dictate how Azad University molds the way young people think and learn then there will be only one
ideology. And you can bet that won’t be beneficial for the nation’s growth or the student’s prosperity.