Rah-e-Roshd Cooperative Educational Complex

www.raheroshd.coop

In 1983, Rah-e-Roshd Educational Complex started its activities as a kindergarten. It was co-founded by teachers, mostly women. Ten years later, they converted to a teachers co-operative as it would serve their ideals better, and afterwards invested in establishing another school. Their members have expanded to parents who admired the learning approaches of the school and the difficulties the teachers had been through. Some university professors with ideas in learning methods became members later. They have 2,000 students, 620 employees (140 are members). They recently united all related educational co-ops into a recently established alliance.

Background

Rah-e-Roshd Educational Complex started out its work by founding the preschool centre in 1985. It extended its scientific-cultural activities in primary school in 1996 as a co-operative. It is worth mentioning that the co-operative has been twice awarded the best educational co-operative society in Tehran Province. Educational and cultural policies of the complex are determined by an experienced Board of trustees, and expert consultants, most of them faculty members of well-known universities. In addition to accomplishing general objectives of formal education, Rah-e-Roshd lays a great emphasis on the following strategies:

1. Making use of significant current methods of teaching including critical thinking and co-operative learning.

2. Teaching foreign languages which allow students an easy access to international sources, and interacting with other cultures.

3. Giving priority to learning computer skills for maintaining relationship with the word.

4. Teaching courses by means of new technologies like smart boards and electronic content creation.

Vision

Vision: Nurturing socially responsible human beings who are also well-versed with life in the Third-Millennium Era

Cooperative Values: Self-help, Democracy, Equality, Equity, Solidarity

Ethical Values: Acceptance, Honesty, Responsibility, Mutual help

Mission

Rah-e-Roshd Cultural & Educational Cooperative is made up of a community of "learners"-students, teachers, staff, and directors- who help each other lead "a better life through participation and cooperation". Here, we learn that we share a common destiny; therefore, we need to stay by each other's side to make both us and society thrive.

1. Seeing life as a whole learning process

2. Paving the way for participation and cooperation

3. Developing keen sense of the unexpected and endeavour to accomplish the seemingly impossible through right life skills

4. Learning via social intervention

5. Learning on the basis of dialogue

6. Helping learners develop sense of unity with the environment