Iran Backs Out of UNESCO’s 2030 Education Agenda

In a Tuesday session chaired by President Hassan Rouhani, the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution announced that any educational grand document other than the country’s homegrown initiatives would be declared null and void.

According to the unanimous decision, the national ‘Document on Fundamental Transformation of Education’ will be the only grand initiative for educational programs in Iran.

Tuesday’s abrogation of the 2030 document followed weeks of controversy and intense debates in Iran.

Last month, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei strongly criticized the cabinet’s adoption of the Education 2030, saying documents founded on “corrupt and devastating Western lifestyle” are unacceptable in Islamic Iran.

“This is the Islamic Republic of Iran, and in this country, Islam and the Quran are the base. It is not a place for infiltration of the flawed, devastating and corrupt Western lifestyle,” Imam Khamenei said on May 7.

“Signing that document (Education 2030) and its silent implementation is certainly not allowed, and this has been announced to the organizations in charge,” the Leader noted, adding that a “so-called international organization under the influence of big powers” has no right to make decisions for different nations with various histories, cultures and civilizations.

Ayatollah Khamenei had also called on the officials to announce explicitly that “the Islamic Republic of Iran has (its own) grand documents in the field of education, and does not need such a document.”

The Education 2030 is part of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).