Promoting Civic Engagement in Schools in Non-Democratic Settings: Transforming the Approach and Practices of Iranian Educators

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by jayni

Examines how an online civic education school in Iran provides experiential training for teachers, enabling them to cultivate democratic civic thinking in students aged 11–15. Focuses on the challenges of Iran’s non-democratic governance, where citizenship is framed through religious ideology and controlled media and judiciary constrain expression. Argues the model can reshape classroom behavior and lessons, translating democratic citizenship understandings despite the prevailing civic education paradigm.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages10

Reading Time25 min

AccessFree to download

Promoting Civic Engagement in Schools in Non-Democratic Settings

Online School of Civic Education and its experiential approach

Societal Context in Iran

Civic Engagement and Religion as the Measure of Good Citizenship

Iran’s Education System and its Dominant Paradigm

Promoting Civic Engagement in Schools in Non-Democratic Settings: Transforming the Approach and Practices of Iranian Educators Maryam Abolfazli Maryam Alemi Eurasia Foundation,[1] USA Eurasia Foundation, USA Established in 2011, the Online School of Civic Education (the Online School) is intended to give Iranian teachers and educators the opportunity to reflect, experiment, and create classroom experiences aimed at teaching their students how to think, rather than what to think. The Online School was developed to provide teachers and educators inside Iran with an alternative to existing topdown, ideological, and teacher-centered civic education in Iran. The Online School’s approach is to encourage teachers and, by extension, their students to think independently and analytically about their surroundings through activities and reflection. We argue that it is possible to provide teachers with experiential training in democratic civic education despite and within the context of the existing civic education paradigm in Iran, which defines citizenship in terms of devotion to religious ideology. We argue that, through this model, not only can teachers gain meaningful insight into the practice of democratic citizenship, but they also can enact changes in their classroom behavior and lessons that pass such understandings on to their students. This article has been written to examine the experiences of an online school dedicated to educating teachers of students ages 11-15 in Iran. The Online School for Civic Education[2](the Online School) was established in 2011 to provide an alternative approach to promoting civic education through an innovative and interactive curriculum. In this article we will argue that it is possible to provide teachers with experiential training in democratic civic education despite and within the context of the existing civic education paradigm in Iran, which defines citizenship in terms of religious ideology. We argue that, through this model, not only can teachers gain meaningful insight into the practice of democratic citizenship, but they also can enact changes in their classroom behavior and implement lessons that transfer such understandings to their students. Societal Context in Iran Established as an Islamic Republic in 1979,[3] the current Iranian system of government is complex, including both democratic and authoritarian components; Iran is the world’s only theocracy (Chehabi, 2001) . Its government is characterized by a dual system of publicly elected officials and appointed religious experts, including the Supreme Leader. Ultimate power lies with the Supreme Leader, as he is the final arbiter on matters and disputes among the various branches of government, has the power to remove the president, and has the final say on interpreting constitutional rights. Beyond Shia Islam, the Iranian government recognizes only the religions of Sunni Islam, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, and Christianity. The Baha’i faith of is not recognized[4] and the 1% of the population who practice this faith are discriminated against by the government. Members of minority faiths in Iran, including Sunnis, are regularly denied rights to government jobs and access to resources. The Constitution of Iran is openly non-democratic and gives citizens limited rights as long as they are in line with religious doctrine (Chehabi & Keshavarzian, 2012) . Despite the fact that freedom of expression is granted in the Constitution, the conservative-controlled judiciary has convicted and jailed most outspoken journalists, bloggers, and students, and continues to do so. Currently, Iran is second (after Turkey) on the list of countries that have imprisoned the most journalists (Committee to Protect Journalists, 2012) . Still, Iranians have shown resilience in their ability to carve out spaces for creativity, individuality, and sociality that run counter to the ideologies promulgated by the Iranian government. Iranian private li

FAQs

What purpose does the Online School of Civic Education serve in Iran?

It gives Iranian teachers and educators a way to reflect, experiment, and design classroom experiences aimed at teaching students how to think. It offers an alternative to top-down, ideological, teacher-centered civic education.

Why is democratic civic education challenging in the Iranian context described in the article?

Because Iran defines citizenship largely through religious ideology, and political control limits freedom of expression. The education system and broader societal structures reinforce loyalty and obedience.

How does the article claim the model affects teachers and students?

It argues teachers can gain meaningful insight into democratic citizenship practice. Teachers can then change classroom behavior and implement lessons that transfer these understandings to students.

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by jayni