Khosrowpanah: Philanthropists Must Be at the Core of School-Building Governance

QOM – Emphasizing the central role of philanthropists in developing the country's education, the Secretary of the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution called for giving philanthropists a more effective role in school-building governance.

According to Mehr reporter, Hojjat-ul-Islam wal-Muslimin Abdul Hossein Khosrupanah, on Thursday morning, at the 28th Qom Province school-building philanthropist festival, pointed out the place of charity in Quranic teachings and said: philanthropists and mujahideen who take steps to serve the society have a valuable position and their charitable activities should be considered in the cultural and social system of the country.

Emphasizing the necessity of reviewing the way of school building management, he added: School building benefactors should play a central role in the governance of this field, and if all decisions and school building management are solely in the hands of the government, the desired success cannot be achieved.

Khosropanah continued: The capacity of benefactors should be utilized in such a way that they can effectively participate in the decision-making and implementation of school building projects, and the obstacles to charitable activities should be removed.

The Secretary of the Supreme Council of Cultural Revolution, pointing to the necessity of optimal use of the capacity of government properties and assets, said: In some commercial areas, including parts of Tehran, there are dilapidated schools that can be used to change the use and use the economic value of the properties to provide the basis for building new schools and increasing the capacity of educational spaces.

Donors should play a role in the governance of schools

Emphasizing the importance of paying attention to the educational facilities in addition to the construction of the physical space of the school, he said: The construction of the school building is a valuable action, but the scientific and technological needs of the students should not be neglected, and the necessary facilities for the development of their talents should also be provided.

Khosropanah added: Talented students need appropriate educational, laboratory, workshop and research facilities to develop their abilities, and building a school without considering these needs alone cannot provide the ground for training elites.

Referring to the success of Iranian students in the fields of science and skill, he said: This year, the youth of the country won 59 medals in the competitions, which is a proud achievement and shows that the talents of Iranian youth can flourish with the provision of the right environment.

The Secretary of the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution asked the benefactors of school builders to consider additional educational facilities in the design and construction of schools and said: it is appropriate to provide for the needs of students in addition to building a school, a library, a workshop and a laboratory so that they have the opportunity to learn practically and develop their abilities.

Appreciating the benefactors who have considered this approach in their plans, he emphasized the necessity of expanding this model in school building activities.

Government agencies should remove obstacles for donors

Referring to the responsibility of government agencies in supporting school benefactors, Khosrupanah said: honoring benefactors is not limited to verbal appreciation, but the authorities should facilitate the implementation of charitable projects by facilitating the processes and preventing the creation of administrative obstacles.

He added: Benefactors enter the field of school construction with the motive of serving the society, and it is appropriate to see the results of their charitable actions while they are alive, therefore, unnecessary delays in the implementation of projects should be minimized.

The secretary of the Supreme Council of Cultural Revolution, referring to the issue of naming schools built with the efforts of donors, said: the wishes of donors should be respected in choosing the name of the school, and they should be able to choose the names of their parents, martyrs, Ahl al-Bayt (AS) or other names for the schools according to their intentions.

He continued: Unnecessary interventions of the institutions in the naming of schools that are built at the expense of donors can be an obstacle in the way of charitable activities and the authorities should avoid creating such restrictions.

Khosrupanah emphasized: Facilitation, respecting the intentions of donors and removing executive obstacles should be taken into consideration as part of the responsibility of government agencies in supporting school building.

The culture of schooling should be passed on to future generations

Emphasizing the necessity of continuing charitable activities in families, he said: Donors should encourage their spouses, children and grandchildren to participate in good deeds so that this valuable tradition is passed on to future generations.

The secretary of the Supreme Council of Cultural Revolution added: Charity and school building is not only an individual act, but can become a historical and generational identity, and in families that have participated in good affairs for several generations, this culture should be preserved and strengthened.

Referring to the role of culture building in the expansion of this tradition, Khosrupanah stated: promoting the culture of benevolence in the society provides the basis for the continuity of charitable activities and can increase the participation of the young generation in building schools and other public benefit activities.

He also emphasized the necessity of the participation of scholars, taqlid authorities and scientific families in the expansion of good works and said: religious scholars have played a role throughout history in activities such as building schools and hospitals, and this valuable tradition should be continued among scholars and authorities.

Referring to the role of Ayatollah Sheikh Abdul Karim Haeri in good affairs, the Secretary of the Supreme Council of Cultural Revolution considered the participation of scholars and authorities to be effective in strengthening this culture and called for the continuation of this path in the society.

In the end, he thanked the school-building donors and said: I appreciate the efforts and valuable actions of the donors in the development of educational spaces and I hope that with the cooperation of cultural groups and officials, the existing obstacles will be removed and the culture of charity and school-building will spread more in the country.