Iranians seeking to marry their love of their lives will soon have to earn official qualifications from the government before they are allowed to pop the question.

Source:

10 March 2010

Men and women who want to enter into matrimony will have to undergo a three-month course of prenuptial training, for which they will earn a certificate proving they are ready to wed.

The course is part of a plan approved by the Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that aims to reverse declining Iranian marriage rates and rising divorce statistics, the Guardian reports.

From next week, young people will be offered courses to prepare them for the hardships, as well as the high points, of married life.

The courses, involving weekly exams, will be run by the state-governed national youth organisation. Those who successfully complete them will receive a certificate as proof of their readiness for committment.

Mohsen Zanganeh, the head of the national youth organisation for Teheran province, said the courses would provide young people with an understanding of the “alphabet of life” and were intended as an essential gateway to marriage.

“We intend that within the next two years, if a boy attempts to woo a girl, she will answer only if he has finished his course,” he told the Fars news agency. “We are trying to increase the level of information among young people concerning marriage.”

Mr Zangeneh said the course would run along similar lines to a university degree, with a panel of 40 experts serving as its scientific board.