Iran is experiencing some of the most extreme protests and riots the country has seen in decades, which is saying a lot considering the Middle East isn’t the sweetest place in the world. Iranian supporters of presidential candidate Hossein Mousavi are upset at their candidates loss and believe it was not a true democratic election. They claim President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s re-election was rigged and have taken to the streets to express their outrage.
Social Media is playing a role in the dispute more than ever before.
Iranian government officials have tried to block coverage of the riots through social media sites like Twitter. Google reported that YouTube appears to be formally blocked in Iran but the the site is still experiencing 10 percent of it’s normal traffic levels from the country.
This organic discussion and collection of links circling the globe is markedly different from traditional news. The difference between social media news and traditional news is that everything is based on merit rather than authority and there is no strong mechanism to distinguish between fact and fiction.
As I have thought about the web and its role in the dissemination of information I have started to wonder what Iran’s education system is like. Well-educated countries often have a more vocal expression of opinion. That diversity of opinion is often accompanied by generous freedom of speech rights, as seen in America, but Iran is not so lucky.
Facts about the Education System in Iran:
- At the university level every student attending public schools is required to commit to serve the government for a number of years typically equivalent to those spent at the university, or pay it off for a very low price (typically a few hundred dollars).
- Iranian universities produce approximately 750,000 skilled graduates annually.
- English as a second language is introduced from grade 7
- The most popular field of study for college students is engineering at 25.2 percent, followed by the medical field at 24.2 percent and 13.4 percent are involved in pedagogic and teacher’s training.
One thing is for sure though: Iranians understand citizen journalism and using social media. No doubt about that.
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