Students should be allowed to air their views: Rouhani

TEHRAN – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has said that all students in the country should be allowed to speak freely about various issues. 

 

“A university should be a place where criticism and comments can be made freely. It is a matter of shame for a government that its students or university professors are compelled to remain silent and refrain from making comments because some people may criticize them,” Rouhani said in an address to a number of students and university professors at the University of Tehran on Monday. 

 

In his speech, Rouhani said that students should be aware of political and social issues, adding that they should be involved in activities concerning culture, politics, and economy. 

 

The government will not condone the exertion of pressure by certain groups on students, he added. “How would it be possible for a university to make great academic progress while its professors are not allowed to air their views?”  

 

Elsewhere in his remarks, Rouhani said that Iran should have “peaceful coexistence” with other countries in the world.