Azimi: Students Must Play a Role in Solving Metropolitan Problems

Qom – Stressing the need to draw on the scientific and intellectual capacity of students in urban management, Qom's mayor announced plans to form a student think tank to involve academics in solving city problems.

According to Ambassador Arjan Faramarez Azimi, the mayor of Qom metropolis, in a 6-hour intimate meeting with student organizations of Qom province, emphasized the need to strengthen the interaction of city administration with the academic community and use the scientific and intellectual capacities of students to solve the problems of the metropolis, and announced plans to form a student think tank with the aim of examining students' concerns, suggestions and plans.

In this meeting, Azimi pointed out the importance of the role of students in the development of the country and urban management and stated: Students should be concerned about solving the problems of the country and at the urban scale, they should be concerned about the problems of urban management. The student community can play a role in identifying the city's challenges and providing effective solutions due to its demanding spirit, expert view and scientific capacity.

Emphasizing the need for students to pay attention to basic and strategic issues, he added: Students' concerns should not be limited to minor issues, but they should pay attention to macro issues and, with a comprehensive view, participate in solving the city's basic problems and improving the quality of life of citizens.

Referring to the approach of urban management in providing services to citizens, the mayor of Qom metropolis said: Urban management believes that it should serve all sections of the society. Pilgrims, tourists and citizens in different age groups, from minors and teenagers to young and middle-aged people, should be able to benefit from urban services and express their views and opinions about urban issues and programs.

Emphasizing the need to increase the interaction of the municipality with student organizations, Azimi clarified: We expect students to increase their interaction with the municipality. In this regard, I will order the formation of a student think-tank board in the coming days so that the issues, concerns, plans and programs of the students can be examined in various committees and the ground for the implementation of joint projects between the students and the municipality will be provided.

He continued: The formation of a student think tank can be a good opportunity to use the intellectual and specialized capacities of academics in the process of decision-making and urban planning. The goal is for students to be able to present their views and suggestions in a coherent manner and for the city administration to take advantage of this capacity to advance programs and solve city problems.

Referring to some of the demands raised by the students, the mayor of Qom metropolis pointed out: Strengthening public transportation during the arrival and departure hours of students to universities, development of green space around university centers, improvement and asphalting of roads leading to universities and provision of parking are among the concerns raised, which we will take action to solve with the participation of universities.

Azimi stated that it is necessary to deal with these demands and added: These issues are important, but the entire capacity of city administration's interaction with universities and students should not be limited to these issues. We expect to identify and examine the problems of the metropolis with the help of students and use their ideas, plans and suggestions to improve urban management.

Emphasizing the necessity of continuing the communication between city managers and universities, he said: the presence of officials in universities should not be limited only to the occasion of Azar 16, Student's Day. Students are the owners of the future of the country and the city, and they should be able to have continuous communication with the administrators throughout the year, hold demand meetings and demand performance reports from the officials.

In the end, the mayor of Qom metropolis emphasized the position of the academic community in advising the administrators and said: students have valuable capacities to advise the administrators and the city administration welcomes the strengthening of this relationship. Accordingly, face-to-face and face-to-face interactions with students and the university community, especially university professors, will be strengthened in order to use their knowledge, experience, and views to solve problems and comprehensively develop Qom metropolis.