A brief report on Mathematical

Education in Iran M. Toomanian

Iranian Academy of Science

Table of Contents

• Mathematics of pre Islamic Era

• Mathematics during Islamic Era

• Darol-Fonoon

• Foundation of Tehran University

• The first generation of Iranian mathematicians

• After foundation of Tehran University

• The establishment of the other universities

• Research Centers and Societies

• The present situation

• References

Mathematics of pre Islamic Era • There is a little information about education of Iran before Islam.

• In the 6th century B.C, the Iranian civilization had an elaborate practice in

mathematics, which initiated the needs of astronomy, architecture and music.

• Considering the fact that Iranians were able to construct great palaces like

Persepolis, we can easily come to the conclusion that there existed a strong

and dynamic applied mathematics in ancient Iran.

Mathematics during Islamic Era

• During 800-830 A.D, the establishment of "Beytol-Hekmah" (the house of learning) provided a great opportunity for Moslem scholars to get involved in scientific activities.

• According to historians of science, the beginning of the history of mathematic in Islamic Era, was marked with the magnificent work of Mohammad Ebn, Musa Al-Kharazmi. His work entitled "Kitab al-Mokhtasrs fi hesab al-Jabr wal-moghabeleh" (the book of summery in the process of calculation for compulsion equation).

• The scholars like Khayyam, the prominent Iranian mathematician, poet, and philosopher, classified the first, second and third degree equations. Khayyam regularly conducted research in solving cubic equations and was able to find geometrical solution for them.

• It has been proved that an important part of Leonardo Fibonacchi's work is influenced by Karaji's book entitled "Al-Fakhri".

Darol-Fonoon

• The advent of Renaissance in Europe sent shock waves throughout the world. One of the influential dignitaries of that time, Amir Kabir, made a devotion to compensate for that recession. He therefore, established Darol Fonoon, the first polytechnic school in Iran, to provide modern education in 1851.

• Iran's first institution of higher and new learning. 105 students were admitted to the first class.

Darol-Fonoon continue….

• The school educated 287 students by 1889 and had graduated 1100 students by 1891.

• In the early years, the cycle for fulfilling of the program was seven years. Later the cycle decreased in five and them to four years.

• One significant institution generated by Darol-Fonoon was Iranian's first ministry of education which was constituted in 1855.

• Continuing the development process, several elementary schools were established in 1918. The Ministry of Culture of the time established the Central School for Teachers to train qualified teachers for elementary schools. The curriculum of this schools contained courses in psychology, logic and teaching methods.

• All graduates were employed by the Ministry of Culture. government made an effort to provide training for teachers at secondary level. To do this, an arrangement was made to train a group of talented students in Iran and to send another group to Europe to have further training Higher Teacher Training school; HTTS was established then.

Darol-Fonoon continue….

• Later on HTTS name was changed to Daneshsaraay-e Ali and after the establishment of University of Tehran in 1934; HTTS became its central core.

Darol-Fonoon continue….

Foundation of Tehran

University

• In 1934, the Parliament authorized a law approbating the foundation of a university as a substitution of Darol-Fonoon. The University of Tehran encompassed seven faculties which are described in Article 2 of the Act of the foundation of a university as follows: ▫ Sciences

▫ Medicine with its components

▫ Engineering

▫ Laws, political and Economics Sciences

▫ Islamic low and philosophy

▫ Literature and pedagogy

▫ Theology

The first generation of Iranian mathematicians

• Young men who had been sent to complete their studies in various universities in Europe returned to the University to serve as lectures in their respective subjects. The University of Tehran continued to expand and improve as a result of this act.

Professor Mohsen Hashtroody

After Foundation of Tehran University

In addition to the seven faculties mentioned in the above Act in 1946, the University of Tehran is comprised of the following institutions:

▫ The Teachers Training Collage, under the administration of the faculties of sciences.

▫ School of Arts.

▫ Veterinary Collage.

▫ Agricultural Collage, built in Karaj, provided students with all of the necessary academic facilities.

The establishment of the other universities

• From 1941 to 1953, a policy of expanding higher education was jointly prosecuted with the concurrence of most intellectuals and educationalists. A law dated 24 May 1949 provided for the establishment of new universities. The first of early established universities in Iran are:

Year established

Location

University

1934

1947

1949

1946

1950

1955

Tehran

Tabriz

Mashhad

Shiraz

Isfahan

Ahvaz

Tehran

Tabriz

Ferdowsi

Shiraz

Isfahan

Gondi Shapour

• In the process of developing mathematics programs, the first masters program in mathematics was established in Tehran University and later on in the University of Shiraz at 1963. All the graduates of this program process to North America to work towards their Doctoral degree in mathematics. They mostly come back to Iran and helped further the progress of mathematics.

• After the Islamic revolution in Iran, to meet the needs, a number of universities were authorized to establish Doctoral program in mathematics. Presently there are more than 53 universities offer the program of Ph.D. in mathematics.

Research Centers and Societies

(1)Iranian Mathematical Society

It has been presented in this program.

Research Centers and Societies (2) Annual Iranian Mathematics Education Conferences

• Since the number of teachers and educators of mathematics were growing in the National Mathematics conferences. The need for organizing a separate conference for this interest group was acknowledged in various occasions. As the result, the necessity for organizing the annual Iranian mathematics Education Conference (IMEC) was officially declared at the 26th National Mathematics conference in Kerman in 1995 by the Minister of Education who was a mathematician himself.

• The IMEC has been providing valuable opportunities for teachers and educators to become interested in research issues within the Discipline of Mathematics Education.

• Now there are 8 Universities with PhD program in Mathematics Education.

Research Centers and Societies

(3) Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science Department of Iran University Press:

• Was established in 1980. One of its main goals was to prepare dependable academic textbooks instead of non-reliable textbooks of that time.

• Thus far, 200 mathematics books have been published by MSCD. This Department enjoys the cooperation of university mathematics professors as well as the Iranian mathematical society. The "Dictionary of Mathematics and Statistics" is a joint work of this department and IMS. The descriptive journal of "Nashr-e- Riazi" (Mathematics publication) is being published biannually since 1988 by the Department and is editorial board consists mainly of university mathematics professors.

Research Centers and Societies (4) The Institute for Studies in Theoretical Physics and Mathematics • With the purpose of expanding and enhancing research in different fields of

theoretical physics and mathematics, "The Center for Theoretical Physics and Mathematics" of the Ministry of Culture and Higher Education, was established in 1989. Following its expansion in fields of cognitive science and theoretical computer science, the Center's name was changed to "The Institute for Studies in Theoretical Physics and Mathematics" in 1996. The main goals and objectives of the Institute are: ▫ Conducting genuine research in the fields that Institute was

established for; ▫ Establishing a specialized library, electronic network, computer

facilities, etc… for supporting research activities;

• Presently, the institute consists of the following schools: School for Mathematics, School for Theoretical Physics, and School for Intelligent Systems. All the three schools are relatively autonomous especially with regard to financial affairs.

• Thus far, The School of Mathematics has established different research groups such as Combinatorics, Dynamical system, Mathematical Logic, Communicative and Non-communicative Algebra, Group Theory, and Theoretical Differential Educations.

Research Centers and Societies (5) Mathematics Department of the Academy of Sciences

• The Iranian Academy of Sciences was established in 1977, and it was dissolved after the Islamic Revolution of 1979. The Academy of Sciences of the Islamic Republic of Iran was established in 1990, compressed of seven groups, namely, Humanities, Basic Sciences, Agricultural Sciences, Engineering, Islamic Studies, Veterinary Medicine, and Art and Architecture. Recently, the Art and Architecture group was split from the Academy. The members of the Academy are chosen among researchers, as full, associate or honorary members. There are 46 full members, 100 associate and 53 invited members.

• The most important activities of the Mathematics Department are:

▫ Taking part in joint sessions with the other four departments, to discuss the scientific policies of the government, allocation of research budgets, supports methods for scientists in pure sciences, and allocate responsibility to researchers to disclose their priorities to both the officials and the public.

▫ Taking part in joint session with the other four departments, in other to investigate the quality of education in Iran.

▫ Discussing the project of assigning suitable Persian equivalents of mathematical terms, and coordinating cooperation between the Iranian Mathematical Society, the Academy of Sciences, and the Academy of Persian Language and Literature.

The present situation Students Branches Universities

1187530 190 State Universities

814000 519 Payam-e-Noor University

1655411 357 Islamic Azad University

392428 888 The University of Science and

Applications

62602 166 THE University of Science and

Technology

255930 202 Private faculties

4367901 2322 Total

No. of Students level

3909284 Graduate

level

458617 Postgraduate

level

4367901 Total

Total Instructors Asist

Prof.

Ass.

Prof.

Prof Staff

35707 8157 18941 6401 2208 State

Universities

32845 21632 9617 963 633 Private

Universities

68552 29749 28558 7364 2841 Total

80 The number of

scientific

associations

680 The number of Research

journals

29418

(23987 ISI)

The number of

published papers

16 Rank or scientific

productions

A sample of the Iranian Mathematicians during The Islamic Era

References

• Reports on science and technology development in Iran (TWAS) 2000, by prof.Mehdi Behzad

• Modernization of education in Iran at the beginning of the 20th century by Fariba Elliee. 2012

• Report of Ministry of science, Research and technology. 2013