No mention of a Beheshti College in Shiraz could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

However, according to the Higher Education Advisory of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Canada:

The primary as well as guidance schoolteachers are trained in a number of various institutions under the auspices of the Ministry of Education. Secondary school teachers are trained in universities under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Culture and Higher Education. Teacher training centers affiliated with the Ministry of Education train primary and guidance schoolteachers. There are several centers, which perform this task as follows:

Rural Teacher Training Centers

Because of the shortage of teachers in rural areas, the Ministry has established specific institutions for training teachers who will be teaching at rural areas. After finishing the guidance cycle (grade 8), students will be trained in special institutions for the duration of four years. After graduation, they will teach in schools in rural areas. Furthermore, under a new plan, the Ministry will be sending conscripts as teachers in rural areas. One thousand conscripts started their work at rural areas in the academic year 1989-1990.

Primary school teacher training institution (grades 1-5)

After finishing grade 10 in the high school, some students who are interested in teaching will be admitted to this special teacher-training program which lasts only two years. The graduates of this program are entitled to teach in either rural or urban primary schools.

Guidance cycle teacher training centers (grades 6-8)

For the purpose of training qualified teachers for grades 6-8, the Ministry admits students who have already graduated from the high school and hold their diploma through a nation-wide examination. They are required to study for another 2 years in teacher training institutions. Both primary and guidance teacher training institutions offer wide range of courses which lead to the award of an Associate Diploma (n.d.).

Furthermore, examinations are held at the end of each secondary school grade and:

due to increasing number of applicants, admission to post-secondary institutions is through a nation-wide entrance examination and thus only the most talented students can enter universities. Finally, in general, education (in primary, secondary, and post-secondary levels) is free of charge though private schools and universities authorized by law are allowed to charge tuition fees (ibid.).

While the Higher Education Advisory states that admission to university is based on grades, it does not state whether other factors, such as extra-curricular activities, are considered. Furthermore, while stating that primary and guidance teachers are trained in teacher colleges under the direct jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education, and secondary school teachers complete programs at the university level, it does not indicate whether admission to the teacher colleges is based on grades and/or other factors. In addition, no mention is made of whether different standards of admission are used for men and women, although the Higher Education Advisory does state that in 1991-92, out of the total paid full- and part-time teaching staff in post-secondary programs, 17.3% were women (ibid.).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

Higher Education Advisory of he Islamic Republic of Iran in Canada. n.d. "Education System in Iran." [Internet] http://www.salamIran.org/Embassy/Embassy/StudentAdvisory/Iran_education/Iran_Education_system.html [Accessed 23 June 1999]

The World of Learning 1997-1999. 1996 - 1998. 48th ed. London: Europa Publications.

Electronic sources: IRB Databases, Internet, REFWORLD, World News Connection (WNC).