Are individuals able to change a system, or at least be able to share their opinions in order to make some improvements in the one country? I can’t say a definite answer due the lack of my knowledge, yet I know the answer is “NO” in the country I grew up, Iran. If I had the authority to change the whole “system of learning” in Iran’s colleges, I would definitely do that. Mostly, in Iran teaching and learning methods are based on theory and books. There are a few courses such as Physics and Chemistry in which students are actually able to see and experience the subjects they read. In High school students are forced to read massive history books, and do college-based mathematics problem. Moreover, after they graduate there is a big entrance exam for college. However, the story does not end at that point. The methods of University teaching are even worse.
Universities and colleges in Iran are divided into two categories: Private School and Public School. Public schools are really hard to get into; therefore, most of the students usually get accepted to private and expensive schools. Nevertheless, the level of learning is lower than in public schools, and there are rarely have hands-on experiences. For instance, I graduated from a private school in Tehran in Software Engineering, and all I remember from computers is heavy loads of books about networking, simulation, and programming. In addition, another issue that students face during years of studying is the lack of experienced faculty members. Unfortunately, majority of true professors whose lectures are worth listening to, have escaped the country to other places where they are actually valued as professionals.
If someday there would be a chance to change the academic system in Iran, it should be done with careful attentions, and by people who have already seen successful countries like the United States. Maybe adding some more courses with actual hands-on experiences would help students understand the course subjects better, instead of having them concentrate on texts only. Even, letting students to pick up some satisfying courses beside their major courses to be able to explore their interest in other areas, would be helpful.