Mohammad-Javad Salmanpur, the deputy minister of science for foreign affairs, told IRNA on Monday that despite the fact that the Islamic Republic of Iran is one of the top 15 countries in terms of attracting international students, it is still far from the appropriate position in this regard because Iranian universities enjoy a higher capacity in comparison to rival universities in the region and even some European countries.
As a matter of fact, there is a worldwide competition to attract international students, he said, adding that there are certain old rivals in Europe and the United States as well as new rivals in West Asia.
The old rivals pursue their own special patterns in accepting foreign students, which was almost successful, the deputy minister said, noting that new regional rivals such as Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Russia, and Saudi Arabia along with Jordan and Egypt, are active in attracting international student; for instance, Turkey has accepted 250k international students.
Although, some regional countries are attracting foreign students on behalf of certain countries in a bid to follow up those countries' agenda, he warned.
Iranian higher education enjoys eye-catching advantages and more importantly is that the method of attracting foreign students in Iran can be evaluated as a civilizational model, which provides the students with the opportunity to follow a set of beliefs, principles, norms, and universal values through scientific exchanges, Salmanpur said, adding that the mentioned model promotes the spread of knowledge throughout the globe, especially in the regional and the Islamic world, as well as connection among nations, while maintaining cultural and national identities.
The civilizational model does not focus only on economic, educational, or political aspects; it emphasizes a combination of different factors, which is beneficial to both Iran and the country that dispatches its students to the Islamic Republic, he mentioned.
With the use of such a civilized model, Iran's higher education has the capacity to pave the ground for more than 250k foreign students within three years, the official argued.
The Iranian deputy minister also urged the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (official TV network) to play a key role in advertising and introducing the country's capacities in this respect.
According to the official, the Islamic Republic of Iran's embassies around the world possess a good opportunity to introduce Iranian universities and attract international students.
There are nearly 100 thousand foreign students studying in Iran, he said, noting that more than 90 percent of the foreign students are from Iraq and Afghanistan.
Also, more than 95 thousand Iranian students are studying in other countries, including over 12 thousand Iranians who are studying in Turkey, he said, adding that many countries are keen on attracting Iranian students.
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