Unveiling a 35-item Treasure Trove of Outstanding Educational Experiences of Iranian Teachers

Iran Book News Agency (IBNA); Basair Cultural Center, by successfully holding a competition and unveiling a treasure trove of 35 selected memoirs, seeks to identify, promote, and appreciate the educational and spiritual experiences of teachers across the country. The main goal is to strengthen the culture of storytelling, recounting, and exchanging these valuable experiences among educational activists.

In fact, by organizing this specialized event, the Basair Institute has pursued a conscious effort to deepen the concept of teachers’ professional growth through narrative writing, providing an inspiring resource for the large community of teachers.

Basair Cultural Center, as a pioneering institution in promoting religious culture and enhancing teacher training, has organized theological training courses with the aim of clarifying the exalted position of Imamate in religion and religiosity.

Date and Time: Thursday, November 13, 2025, 9:00 to 11:30 AM

Location: Pen Hall of the National Library of Iran

Main Goal: Identifying, promoting, and appreciating the educational and spiritual experiences of teachers across the country, and strengthening the culture of recounting and exchanging these experiences among educational activists.

The Idea Behind the “Heavenly Memories” Competition

The idea behind the “Heavenly Memories” memoir writing competition stemmed from the necessity of collecting and documenting the lived and effective experiences of teachers in dealing with the educational issues of their students. In today’s world, “narratives” are the most powerful tools for transmitting deep concepts and successful educational models.

The main focus of the competition was on the “educational impact” of the teacher or mentor narrating the memoir; in other words, a real story in which the individual was involved in creating a significant change in students’ beliefs or behavior. The main theme of all submitted memoirs focused on “educational experience”; a real story from a teacher or mentor regarding attracting a student, having a profound impact on them, or creating a significant change in students’ beliefs and behavior.

Start Time: The “Heavenly Memories” memoir writing competition began in [February 2025] and was met with widespread acclaim.

Participation Rate: In this national event, we witnessed widespread participation from enthusiasts, and approximately 3000 valuable memoirs were received through the Basair Cultural Center website.

After the submission deadline, the memoirs were evaluated by a specialized judging team. Ultimately, 35 selected memoirs from 27 authors were chosen. These memoirs, each expressing successful educational methods and strategies, have been prepared for printing and unveiling as the book “Heavenly Memories” after specialized editing by Mr. Mohammad Zamanfar (editor and rewriter of memoirs), to become an inspiring resource for the teacher community.

The unveiling ceremony is not just a celebration, but a specialized conference aimed at strengthening “teachers’ professional growth” through narrative writing. The main program includes short and specialized speeches by prominent figures in education and training:

Dr. Mahmoud Amani Tehrani (Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Education): Explaining the importance of promoting educational memoirs at the macro policy level and its impact on the educational system.
Dr. Mahmoud Mehrmohammadi (Retired Professor, Tarbiat Modares University): Presenting the specialized topic “Narrative Writing and Narrative Analysis in the Service of Teachers’ Professional Growth,” emphasizing that storytelling is the most natural form of interaction among members of a profession.
Dr. Mohammad Niroo (Education Secretary): Examining the practical and novel dimensions of storytelling with the topic “Lived Experience of Storytelling, its Consequences, and Facilitating Narrative Writing with the Help of Artificial Intelligence.”
Mr. Mohammad Zamanfar (Editor and Rewriter of Memoirs): Describing the work process and personal feelings while rewriting these impactful memoirs.
Mr. Ebrahim Asiabani Bakhshayesh (Director of Basair Cultural Center)

Basair Cultural Center has allocated generous cash prizes to duly appreciate the selected authors:

First Place: One person, 10 million Tomans.
Second Place: Two people, 5 million Tomans each.
Third Place: Five people, 2 million Tomans each.

The final names of the first to third place winners will be announced on the day of the conference. It is worth noting that to ensure the presence of all winners from across the country (including 27 selected authors), Basair Cultural Center has provided special arrangements. All travel, transportation, and two-night accommodation costs for these individuals from other cities will be fully covered by the Center to provide an opportunity for networking, experience exchange, and inspiration at this golden event for everyone.

This event, which hosts competition winners, school managers and cultural activists (familiar and prominent), memoir writing activists, Ministry of Education affiliates (including the Deputy of Education and the Institute for Educational Research), and university professors and students of teacher training, will be a golden opportunity for networking, experience exchange, and inspiration.

For more information and to register for this valuable event, please visit the Basair Cultural Center website. [Link to Heavenly Memories Conference, Basair Cultural Center]