TEHRAN — The Ministry of Education will reach a decision by the end of the current Iranian calendar year (March 20) on whether or not to eliminate the university entrance exam, also known as Konkur.

The cut-throat competition for gaining admission to top state-run universities takes place every year in June with over a million high school graduates taking the rigorous and demanding exam. 

The intense rivalry is negatively affecting the teenagers and even result in their isolation from the society; it has sank students’ spirit, Tasnim news agency quoted Education Minister Mohammad Bat’haei as saying on Sunday. 

He went on to say that the ministry has seriously considered elimination of Konkur and all [responsible] originations collectively agreed upon it; “it will cause dissent and we need to lay down some requirements, but we have set our sights on eliminating the exam by the end of the month.”  

One of the main problems with Konkur is with the limited number of seats at the public and top universities. In many cases students start to prepare themselves for the fierce competition since they enter high school. Some have to attend school even during summer break and weekends to get ready for the multiple choice exam.

Besides, many parents, who are even more stressed out than their children and believe that the exam will influence their children’s fate, spend loads of money on enrolling their children in math and physics classes to prepare them for the exam in the hope of having them graduated in top fields of engineering or medicine.  

Earlier in December 2017, deputy science minister for education Mojtaba Shari’ati said that a committee has been established in Iran’s science ministry to investigate the required steps for eliminating nationwide university entrance exam.

He had also noted that if the committee comes to the conclusion that Konkur should be eliminated, the implementation process will start within the next four years and the universities are required to come up with their own specific plans and guidelines for admission policies.  

MQ/MG