Document Type : Original Article

Authors

• Ebrahim Khalili
• Ali Khorsandi
• Saeed Ghiasi
• Hamid Reza Arasteh

Basic Sciences , Farabi College, tehran, iran

Abstract

In examining and analyzing the nature of university autonomy in higher education systems, evaluation and explanation of the relationship between the two institutions of government and university is of particular importance. As the government interferes and controls the policies of higher education, the university is faced with the challenge of the autonomy of the university. The purpose of this study was to understand and explain how the power institution is present and effective on Iran's higher education. The methodology of this research is influenced by Norman Fairclough approach, "Critical Discourse Analysis". The documents and texts studied in this study include all texts and written and spoken literature that address the conditions of university autonomy in Iran and the four dimensions of organizational, scientific, financial and employment autonomy. Given the discursive analysis approach, the practical method of data aggregation is the review of documents. The findings of the research show that the state institution influences all four types of university autonomy in Iran's higher education system through its significant factors. These factors are classified and categorized into three categories: "regulatory and control", "administrative and legal", and "financial and educational". Based on the findings of this study, the demands of the trade union and the efforts of the scientific community to overcome the current policies and procedures of exercising power by the state institution on academic autonomy in Iran are strongly suggested. In addition, "moderating political attitudes", "reviewing the traditional and state-based views on higher education governance" and "trying to revive university autonomy" are the three main strategies for restoring university autonomy in Iran.

Keywords

• University Autonomy
• Critical Discourse Analysis
• Government
• Norman Fairclough Approach
• Power