Mojtaba Shakouri

Mojtaba Shakouri’s speech offers a critical reflection on the traditional education system and presents an innovative approach to teaching children—one that goes beyond the mere transmission of logical knowledge. He emphasizes that today’s educational systems, particularly those centered around standardized and competitive exams like university entrance tests, tend to ignore or suppress the right hemisphere of the brain—the part responsible for creativity, intuition, empathy, and design thinking.

Shakouri believes that education should provide a space where play, storytelling, empathy, and meaning-making play a central role, rather than being limited to memorization and logical reasoning. He argues that the skills and senses associated with the brain’s right hemisphere are essential for a future in which artificial intelligence and automation will take over routine and logical tasks. Ignoring these aspects, he warns, leaves students ill-prepared for the world to come.

Introducing a concept called the “Life Class,” Shakouri describes a hands-on lesson designed to nurture a balanced and holistic mind. Through interactive games, collaborative storytelling, and creative projects, children are introduced to skills like empathy, design thinking, and creativity. He also highlights the importance of embracing imperfection and vulnerability, making education more humane and compassionate.

Shakouri insists that learning should not be rigid and joyless; instead, it should be infused with play, humor, and excitement to ignite a genuine passion for learning. He stresses that education must aim to create meaning and hope—transforming children into well-rounded individuals who are both logical and creative, both individualistic and empathetic. His speech is a call to rethink the current educational system in order to cultivate creative, balanced human beings capable of building a better world.