Dr. Mahdi Zolfaghari, director of the Iran Language Institute, expressed his delight in being with the esteemed educators of this group. He congratulated them on Teacher's Day and acknowledged their dedication and hard work.
The Public Relations and International Affairs Department of the ILI reports that Dr. Zolfaghari remarked: “During this period, we sought to enable semantic changes alongside structural modifications. As a newly established identity, the Iran Language Institute expanded its outreach beyond the organization, and today, thanks to God Almighty, we are involved in contracts with many governmental and non-governmental organizations and institutions.”
He went on to say, "Many organizations we approached might not have been familiar with the Iran Language Institute previously, and even if they were, their knowledge was likely limited. Nonetheless, our current national activities and the international programs we plan to launch have significantly increased the recognition of the Iran Language Institute."
Referring to some of the new measures and developments in this complex, Dr. Zolfaghari said: “One of the measures that, God willing, will be implemented from the fall semester is our agreement with Chinese partners, through which we will teach the Chinese language at the ILI with Chinese teachers online and in person. Our next step is to try to develop the Persian language abroad. God willing, if the technological infrastructure is provided, we will have a very good reception for the Persian language. We aim to expand our educational development market abroad by teaching English and non-English languages, which requires some negotiation because we can enter global markets at competitive prices.”
Referring to the importance of teachers' participation in various fields at the Iran Language Institute, he stated: “What is happening at the ILI is not the work of one or two people, but rather the work of all of us. Some issues require comprehensive synergy, and part of it is your responsibility. What we achieved in this course was that we tried to utilize the capacity and ability of the dear teachers of the ILI outside the classroom by looking at the teacher as a "researcher" and an "expert." Currently, some of our teachers are collaborating in public relations and implementation, and even a significant portion of the orders received from outside the complex are assigned to the teachers.”
Regarding the process of selecting teachers, the director of the Iran Language Institute remarked: “This matter involved considerable negotiation and clarification of our educational mission, where Dr. Alamati, our esteemed CEO, and Dr. Abbasinejad, the respected director of the center's security office, offered vital support that we should appreciate, as their contributions have led to significant successes for us.”
Zolfaghari remarked on the expectations from the group of teachers, highlighting the cultural perspective of educational centers and classrooms. He stated, “You, dear teachers, serve as educational and cultural role models for our language learners. Language learners pay attention to and embrace your words, so we hope you will assist in reminding them of the educational protocols of the ILI and the Institute for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adults regarding language learning.”
Another expectation brought up by the director of the Iran Language Institute was the retention of language learners. He remarked, “We have one million and two hundred thousand language learners annually, and if each of the teachers wastes one minute of class time, it amounts to one million and two hundred thousand minutes.”
The director of the ILI addressed the need to reform the salary and wage structure and requested teachers to assist in exploring alternative revenue sources, like webinars, teaching aids, private classes, guided tours of cultural centers, and more.
In the concluding section of his speech, he remarked: “God willing, our direction is a favorable one. I urge you, esteemed teachers, to dedicate more time to the Iran Language Institute, as having more full-time teachers will enhance our collective bargaining strength.”