Pezeshkian urges skills-based learning during visit to smart school
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian visited a smart girls’ high school in Shahriar County, west of Tehran, on Monday, highlighting the need to expand skills-based education in schools.
The institution has been designed around the “fourth-generation education” model, which emphasizes modern teaching methods and technology-driven learning.
During the visit, Pezeshkian held direct discussions with teachers and students and stressed that, in addition to textbook-based instruction, schools must provide the necessary environment to develop students’ individual and group skills, the president’s official website reported.
He stressed the need to establish skills-development workshops and expand the use of visual content to enable teachers and students to build deeper and more effective connections with educational content.
“Through skills development and the expansion of visual content-based learning, we can present the practical applications of academic content to students,” he said.
He also underlined the importance of creating challenges and encouraging problem-solving in educational settings, adding that such approaches would help students practice teamwork, interaction, resilience, and creative thinking.
Pezeshkian said the ability to gather information, process data, and turn it into knowledge and practical products is another key requirement of fourth-generation education.
“Our goal is not to train one-dimensional students. They should form scientific and research groups and develop a sense of responsibility toward their surroundings and their country,” he said.
During the visit, vice president for science and technology, Hossein Afshin, also outlined the features of the fourth-generation education model, saying it transfers valuable skills and patterns to students.
“In this approach, we move beyond rote memorization and focus on fostering students’ creativity. The student becomes the main axis of learning, while the teacher plays a facilitative role,” he said.
He added that in fourth-generation education, schools and teachers aim to develop students’ decision-making skills so they can identify their own educational paths in line with their talents and goals.
The fourth-generation education model moves beyond the simple transmission of knowledge and focuses on problem-solving, creativity, interactive learning, broad access to global resources, and personalized learning.
Facilities at the mentioned school, which serves as a pilot for this model, include a cognitive learning hall, a play terrace, a virtual space and advanced prototyping workshop, a science laboratory, a study hall, a content production studio, an IT and planning center, an artificial intelligence laboratory, an animation workshop, and a creativity and technology lab.
Advanced educational tools such as 3D printers, optical kits, augmented reality technology, and virtual reality headsets have also been introduced to create new learning environments for students and support the facilitative role of teachers.
During the visit, a 3D-printed prototype bust of Pezeshkian, which was programmed, designed, and produced by students, was presented to the president.