Masoud Pezeshkian made the remarks on Saturday, October 17, 2026, at a ceremony marking the inauguration of a series of education projects. Paying tribute to the martyrs of the Islamic Revolution, particularly student martyrs and the victims of the Shajareh Tayyebeh school in Minab, he stressed the need to continue and strengthen efforts to achieve educational equity.
“Significant progress has been made so far under the Movement for the Development of Educational Equity, but I believe we must do much more,” he said. “We must never accept that our children lack suitable educational facilities. Accepting such a situation would be a serious mistake. If we refuse to accept it, we will find a way forward. The first step is to refuse to accept the problem, and then determine what needs to be done to solve it.”
The president stressed that it was equally unacceptable for children to receive an inadequate education or lack the facilities and resources they need to develop in a suitable environment.
“If we build factories and buildings but do not have skilled people to operate them, it will be pointless, and the country’s entire investment will go to waste,” Pezeshkian said. “Our real asset is our people, not buildings, machinery or equipment. If we educate and train people properly, they will build our buildings, manufacture our equipment and bring honor to our country.”
Emphasizing that the goal was not simply to construct educational facilities but to provide a proper education, he said the country was now grappling with problems because people had been educated and trained in ways that left them unable to manage even a government office.
Expressing regret over shortcomings in the education and training system, which he said had produced people lacking even basic management skills, Pezeshkian stated that neither arguments nor replacing officials would resolve the problem, since the current situation was the outcome of the existing education and training system.
“Thinking that the problem can be solved by changing individuals is misguided,” he said, adding that the main challenge lay in skills development.
Pezeshkian emphasized that constructing school buildings was only the first step toward reforming the education system. The ultimate goal, he said, was to create an appropriate environment for effective learning and improve the quality of education.
“If our children receive a proper education, they will learn to cooperate with one another, behave ethically and solve problems together, rather than disrespecting one another and violating ethical standards,” he said.
Referring to verses from the Holy Quran, Pezeshkian described certain forms of misconduct and the use of abusive language as manifestations of satanic behavior.
“It is Satan who seeks to turn people against one another and provoke them into fighting,” he said. “Yet we can easily help one another through appropriate methods, lend each other a hand and guide one another, instead of insulting and disrespecting each other.”
Highlighting the role of proper education in shaping individual and social behavior, the president attributed many of society’s problems and inappropriate interactions to inadequate schooling.
“We must strive to ensure that our children reach the highest possible levels in education, behavior, skills, social development and political understanding,” he said. “Everyone sitting here, as well as everyone living in this country, wants their children to be well brought up in every respect, regardless of the positions they eventually hold. We are responsible for making that happen.”
Country’s Defense and Missile Capabilities Today Owe Much to Schools and Universities
Pezeshkian thanked all those working in the education sector, as well as benefactors who help build schools, and highlighted the contribution of educational institutions to the country’s defense capabilities.
“If we are able to defend our country today, build missiles and stand up to threats, it is because our schools and universities have played a role in this process and laid the groundwork for such capabilities,” he said.
