A comparison of the philosophical foundations of Global Education Program and those of the educational system in Islamic Republic of Iran

The Global Education Program with the stated objective of synchronizing education with the new developments and realities of the global scene is considered an educational innovation and an example of how global concepts are injected into the curriculum. This program, co-sponsored by UNICEF and the MOE, has been experimentally implemented in four provinces since 2001. A comparison of the philosophical underpinnings of this program extracted from the available sources with those of the educational system in Iran yielded some inconsistencies in certain areas such as the essence of the universe, the beginning and end of life, relativity of knowledge, the very sources of value, and the status of man in the world. Considering that this program's designers have admitted that the era of humanism is over, it is an opportunity to inject the philosophical principles of Islam into the curriculum. Furthermore, it is necessary that the philosophical foundations of the educational system in Iran be strengthened.