TEHRAN In one of the lanes in Shemiran, north of Tehran, a large iron door and short stone steps through the yard provide entrance to the residence of Ms. Ghashangi Ardalan, the first woman who graduated from an Iranian university. I stepped in and was ushered by the servant to the drawing-room. I waited for a few minutes in the room, which was full of antiques and old Iranian relics, and then Ms. Ardalan received me.

I found her so sharp, friendly and kind. After a while, she started to talk about her personal life and education. Ms. Ardalan was born in 1917 in Sanandaj in an educated family. Her Muslim father had a BA in law, and her Christian mother was the first woman in Iran who got her school diploma in 1911. Her mother was also the first woman who delivered a speech on equal rights for men and women on the day of her graduation.

Due to the encouragement and insistence of her parents, Ms. Ardalan went to England with her father in 1934 to study English language and literature. I had no alternative but to continue my studies, she said, adding, My mother forced me to study. At that time, women in Iran were not allowed to go to university, so I went to England with my father and studied there for two years.

When her father's mission was over, she had to return home and continued her studies here. One year before I returned home, universities began to admit female students as well, Ms. Ardalan explained, adding, So I continued my studies at Tehran University, Faculty of Foreign Languages, and got my BA in two years instead of three Recalling her school years in Iran, she said, At that time, women mostly studied psychology and educational sciences, although the number of female students then was not comparable with the number of girls studying at Iranian universities today.of girls studying at Iranian universities today.of girls studying at Iranian universities today.of girls studying at Iranian universities today.of girls studying at Iranian universities today.of girls study She also recalled her university professors, saying, We had both Iranian and foreign professors.

Dr. Souratgar, Vahidolmolk Shaybani and Dr. Faryad were among the renowned professors who taught us English literature. Ms. Ardalan referred to Fatemeh Sayyah and Amineh Pakravan as the two outstanding female university professors, who spared no effort to educate the students. Sayyah, who had studied in Russia and France, was so knowledgeable that, after her death, no professor could handle her classes.

Finally, after some years, Mehri Ahi started to teach the subjects previously taught by Sayyah, namely research methodol Ms. Ardalan, who was once an English-Persian-Kurdish translator, commented on the differences between universities at the time when she attended school and today's universities, saying, Certainly there exist some differences. As the time passes, the Regarding women's social activities, she said, Women comprise half of society, so they should be active in different social areas.

It is not important whether they earn money through their activities or not; the important thing is that they should