RNA – During a meeting held in Mashhad with regional heads and administrators of the Islamic Seminaries of Iran, Hujjat al-Islam Mohammad-Reza Jamshidi, the director of the Women’s Seminaries of Iran, spoke on the necessity of unity between all levels of administration within the seminary and said, “The separation and the gap created has not been to the advantage of the seminary. The unity between the seminarians and the revolutionaries in joint meetings that take place in the seminary schools across the country is a necessary requirement.”
Explaining that 60,000 female students are currently engaged with studies, he added, “Approximately 90,000 female students exist throughout the country, and more than 80,000 from among them are currently active within female seminaries.”
He further added that the opportunities and responsibilities of the male and female seminaries were clarified separately and stated, “Our primary goal and aim is to ensure that the female students become good mothers and wives for the future generation.”
By explaining that nearly 10,000 teachers and experienced staff are currently active with the female seminaries, he elaborated, “Some of the administrative policies of the seminary contain points that if realized, will create great prosperity within the female seminary.”
Hujjat al-Islam Jamshidi said: “There are currently levels of education that the female students require, but are not available. However, we see that many capabilities are not being utilized and by using these capabilities it is hoped that within the next five years the female seminary will become self-sufficient in terms of teachers and staff and these required higher levels.”
His Eminence added, “During the last three years, in terms of research, over 600 academic seminars were organized with teachers from the female seminary, with the intention of them open discussions. These seminars were received very well.”
He further explained that currently 4,000 graduated researchers are active in 600 research facilities and said. “Currently 270 research associations are active amongst the students and it is hoped that over the next three years we can make even greater use of the research capabilities of the provinces.”
Introducing the academic, research and educational portal known as “KawtharNet,” he explained, “The ‘KawtharNet’ portal is the largest virtual portal that produces religious material and that is active in academia-research.
Hujjat al-Islam Jamshidi claimed that one of the benefits of this portal was the forming of academic and research groups in different faculties across the country and added, “This portal is currently specific to teachers and students of the female seminary and presently has 80,000 members.”
By further explaining that cyberspace was one of the joint methods for propagation, said, “6,000 students have been educated over this portal, which every month gets almost a million hits. Therefore, information technology has extremely vast capabilities that must be utilized by the Islamic seminaries.”
He went on to explain that presently 190 schools have been completed and that 176 projects are under way and said, “The policies specific to the female seminary schools have been to make then educational, cultural and propagation centers and experience has shown that currently this has been successful in the towns.”
Hujjat al-Islam Jamshidi concluded by saying that at the present time 150 Quran associations are active and students are attracted to the seminaries via these Quran associations and emphasized, “Today, the motivation of the students in the fields of research, propagation and academia has been strengthened. Our students must raise the stature of their religion in coordination with a goal orientated and strategic program and provide guidelines to current affairs based upon the necessities and wants of the Islamic system.”
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