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Quality Challenge in Iran's Higher Education: A Historical Review

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2022

Maghsood Farasatkhah ,
Mahmood Ghazi  and
Abbas Bazargan
Maghsood Farasatkhah
Affiliation:
Institute for Research and Planning in Higher Education, Tehran.
Mahmood Ghazi
Affiliation:
Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Tehran.
Abbas Bazargan
Affiliation:
Faculty of Psychology and Education, University of Tehran.
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Abstract

Higher education at Iran's state-run universities is not supported by a deeply-rooted tradition of quality assessment. For several decades, Iranian universities have not been able to monitor themselves and develop efficient, internal structures of quality assurance. The academics' attempts at internal monitoring have failed, giving way to a system of bureaucratic supervision and control. Recent changes in Iran have given rise to new concepts, including the principle of universities' self-evaluation, based on academic autonomy and scientific freedom. But the dominant tendency in Iran's political structure and administration is still toward external, bureaucratic control. The conflict between more or less advanced texts and typically solid structures is a reflection of inconsistencies within the Iranian society, pursuing its transitional stage.

Type
Research Article
Information
Iranian Studies , Volume 41 , Issue 2 , April 2008 , pp. 115 - 137
Copyright
Copyright © Association For Iranian Studies, Inc 2008

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