University Entrance Quotas: A Major Obstacle for Test Takers
The Iranian Minister of Science, Research, and Technology defended some of the university entrance quotas, saying, ‘I completely agree with the quota for the children of martyrs.’ Mohammad Zolfi Gol, the Minister of Science, on Sunday, August 14, defended the entrance quotas for the children of martyrs, stating, ‘I do not agree with all quotas, but I completely agree with the quota for the children of martyrs.’ He explained that the children of martyrs do not have normal conditions and do not enjoy equal justice compared to others, so a broader perspective should be taken.
The Hidden Mafia Behind University Entrance Exams
The aftershocks of this year’s controversial university entrance exam still persist, from the leaking of exam questions and early receipt of answer sheets in some exam centers to the discussion of the hidden mafia behind the exams and the increase in quotas. The protest against the existence of various quotas, including those for veterans, martyr families, nursing, and regional quotas, and their removal from the national exam, is a long-standing demand of university applicants over the past few decades. This protest, which has been ongoing for many years, remains strong.
Discriminatory Quotas
According to the quotas listed in the national entrance exam brochure, veterans with 25% disability and above, and their spouses and children, veterans with less than 25% disability, and their spouses and children, freed prisoners, and their spouses and children can use the quotas. The spouses and children of combatants with at least six months of voluntary service on the front lines, as well as the spouses and children of martyrs and missing persons, are also eligible for the veterans’ quota. They can use this quota if they achieve at least 70% of the score of the last accepted candidate in the open selection. For years, some thinkers have criticized the way these quotas are applied. According to them, university graduates mostly lack the necessary skills to enter the job market and are taught more based on theory.
Reforming University Entrance Quotas: Possible or Impossible
Criticism of the existence of various quotas prompted the country’s higher education officials to propose a bill for organizing entrance quotas to various levels of higher education in 2019. This bill, which required the signature of the head of the National Education Assessment Organization and the signatures of the Ministers of Science and Health to enter the parliament, has not been signed for over two years to reach the parliament. The decision-making authorities, namely the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution and the Islamic Consultative Assembly, have not yet been able to reach a decisive and specific decision on reforming the important quotas.
According to Mohammad Hossein Saei, educational justice is a multi-faceted and complex issue that cannot be resolved merely by passing a resolution. Previously, Ahmad Hossein Fallahi, a member of the Education Commission of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, had stated that given the existing problems at the macro level of the country, it is necessary for the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution to make decisions regarding the general policy-making and policy-setting of the country’s cultural and higher education issues.
The chances of acceptance and entry for wealthier deciles into public universities in Iran are higher than in other parts of society.
محمد حسین ساعی، عضو شورای عالی انقلاب فرهنگی جمهوری اسلامی
Supporters of Entrance Exam Quotas
Although hundreds of signatures and petitions have been gathered to remove some university entrance quotas, and many critics believe that such privileges for specific groups constitute educational discrimination, Mojtaba Jafari from the Islamic Azad University, Shahin Shahr branch, defended the entrance quota for veterans and their families, stating that it is the government’s duty to give valuable recognition to their different efforts. Therefore, it is a correct decision to consider privileges for these individuals and their families. According to existing documents, there are currently 26 active quotas in the entrance exam, most of which are resolutions of the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution or the Islamic Consultative Assembly. Quotas that need to be reviewed did not reach the 2022 exam, which was a controversial and tumultuous exam, and critics hope that perhaps in the coming years, these changes will be witnessed.
The entrance quotas for veterans and their families are a duty of the government to give valuable recognition to their different efforts, and therefore, it is a correct decision to consider privileges for these individuals and their families.
مجتبی جعفری از مقامات دانشگاه آزاد اسلامی واحد شاهین شهر
