Journal of Iranian Public Administration Studies

Journal of Iranian Public Administration Studies

Problem Construction Through Policy: A Problematization Approach in the Policies of New Iranian Schools(Case study: Dar Al-Fonun School)

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Reza Abiri 1
Hoseini Seyed Kazem 2
1 Researcher at the Imam Sadiq (AS) University Roushd Center
2 Assistant Professor, Management Economics and Administrative sciences Department, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad
10.22034/jipas.2026.506011.1774
Abstract
This study seeks to analyze the problematization of establishing new schools during the Qajar era as one of the key policies of Iran's central government, using Carol Bacchi's "What’s the Problem Represented to Be?" (WPR) framework. All questions of this framework have been addressed through a text-based policy analysis approach. To this end, five texts were selected as the primary evidence for analysis, and the policy contexts were examined using historical documents and historians' analyses. The findings reveal that the establishment of modern educational institutions in Iran was more of a political policy than a purely educational initiative. The education system in Iran is more politically charged than any other new institution. Its establishment was, above all, a political act. This policy disrupted the existing social order and altered the social and political roles of various social classes, leading to political instability and subsequent transformations. In other words, the establishment of new schools in Iran represents a governmental policy that impacted not only education but also the social and political dimensions of society.
Keywords
Dar ul-Funun
Modern Education
Policy Problem
Policy Analysis
Problematization

  • Receive Date 11 February 2025
  • Revise Date 28 December 2025
  • Accept Date 05 January 2026