U.S. Economic Sanctions Spills Over to Education
November 8, 2000 - 0:0
TEHRAN The U.S. economic sanctions against Iran has spilled over to the arena of culture and education.
Educational Testing Service (ETS), a United States-based corporation in charge of administering such tests such the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), has recently announced that applicants for the TOEFL program and other tests including GMAT, and GRE are not allowed to register with their mailing addresses in Iran any longer.
This has made the Iranian students, willing to take such a test and look for some opportunities to continue their education overseas, face a serious problem.
The TOEFL program provides English proficiency testing services for international students planning to study in the United States, Canada, or other countries where English is the medium of instruction.
Since the late 1980s when Iran was excluded from the list of the countries in which the TOEFL is administrated, Iranian students have had to take the TOEFL test outside of Iran. Then the results were mailed to their addresses in Iran. But despite the fact that the TOEFL test is made available worldwide to all the applicants regardless of age, gender, race, nationality, religion, or political views, the ETS has recently spread the sanctions to scientific and cultural areas.
It is noteworthy, however, that AMIDEAST, ETS' representative in Egypt, has announced: "If Iranian applicants provide one of the representatives around the world with a mailing address outside Iran, such as that of a family member or friend, it is possible for them to receive the registration bulletin. Their address on the registration form must also be outside Iran in order for their registration to be accepted, and for their score reports to be sent." Of course, Iranian applicants can use their Iranian passports as identification at the test center.
Educational Testing Service (ETS), a United States-based corporation in charge of administering such tests such the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), has recently announced that applicants for the TOEFL program and other tests including GMAT, and GRE are not allowed to register with their mailing addresses in Iran any longer.
This has made the Iranian students, willing to take such a test and look for some opportunities to continue their education overseas, face a serious problem.
The TOEFL program provides English proficiency testing services for international students planning to study in the United States, Canada, or other countries where English is the medium of instruction.
Since the late 1980s when Iran was excluded from the list of the countries in which the TOEFL is administrated, Iranian students have had to take the TOEFL test outside of Iran. Then the results were mailed to their addresses in Iran. But despite the fact that the TOEFL test is made available worldwide to all the applicants regardless of age, gender, race, nationality, religion, or political views, the ETS has recently spread the sanctions to scientific and cultural areas.
It is noteworthy, however, that AMIDEAST, ETS' representative in Egypt, has announced: "If Iranian applicants provide one of the representatives around the world with a mailing address outside Iran, such as that of a family member or friend, it is possible for them to receive the registration bulletin. Their address on the registration form must also be outside Iran in order for their registration to be accepted, and for their score reports to be sent." Of course, Iranian applicants can use their Iranian passports as identification at the test center.