A Futuristic Look at the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Developmental Plans in Education

Among educational philosophies and approaches, the social reconstruction philosophy with a futuristic approach can be helpful in overcoming the challenges that Iranian education will be facing in the near future, as it can predict the future based on the rapid developments and changes occurring at present. From this perspective, a positive outlook on the future can help clarifying the goals and orientations of a society. Alvin Toffler, a futurist, has a comprehensive and multidimensional look at the future of the world with implications for educational systems. To clarify the extent to which the future of Iranian educational system, as portrayed in the Islamic Republic’s developmental plans, meets the demands of this perspective, a content analysis of related documents, especially the Fundamental Reformation of Education Act, was undertaken. Results show that in these documents extensive emphasis is put on finding meaning, correct knowledge of values, and strengthening family, while a futuristic look at strengthening personal capabilities such as thinking skills, decision making capability, media literacy, and the teaching of environmental skills is absent. Furthermore, future cultural necessities such as pluralism, cultural differences, and citizenship education need to be emphasized further.