Parliamentary Research Center Raises Concerns Over Teacher Training Age Limit Policy
A new report from the Research Center of the Islamic Consultative Assembly has presented a critical analysis of a recent policy change regarding the age limit for entry into Iran’s Farhangian University, the nation’s primary institution for teacher training.
The report examines a decision by a specialized commission of the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution, which raised the maximum age for admission to the university from 24 to 30 years. While the center acknowledges the goal of expanding opportunities, it argues that this specific policy shift is ill-advised and warrants reconsideration.
Eight Core Criticisms
The parliamentary researchers base their position on eight key arguments, asserting that the policy:
- Incorrectly equates the process of teacher training with teacher employment.
- Overlooks the importance of a cohesive peer culture and environment among student-teachers.
- Creates ambiguity in the fair and optimal assessment of candidates across a very wide age range.
- Relies on an insufficient comparative analysis of teacher ages in other countries, without considering Iran’s unique educational and social context.
- Disregards the demographic realities and average age of Iran’s population.
- Will have a negligible impact on the overall admission rates at the university.
- Diverts focus from more comprehensive and critical reforms needed for the teacher recruitment and selection system.
- Risks creating an endless cycle of social demand for ever-increasing age limits.
Identity Formation vs. Skill Acquisition
A significant concern highlighted in the report is the potential social and cultural impact of integrating 30-year-old students into dormitories and classrooms alongside their 18 to 22-year-old peers. The center emphasizes that Farhangian University is not merely a place for learning pedagogical skills; it is a formative environment for building a professional identity. The report contends that this identity-forming process is most effective when students enter at a younger, more impressionable age.
A Call for Policy Reconsideration
The report concludes by noting that alternative pathways into the teaching profession, such as employment exams, remain open to candidates up to the age of 45. Furthermore, the number of applicants above the age of 22 seeking entry through the university has historically been very low. Therefore, the Research Center suggests that focusing policy efforts on this change is a misallocation of resources towards a non-priority issue.
It formally recommends that the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution not ratify the commission’s decision and instead reaffirm the previous age limit of 24, as stipulated in recent regulations.