It is not like that in Islamic republic. In Islamic regime of Iran they completely isolated people from outside world. Don't get me wrong, when I am saying completely it doesn't mean people don't have access to Internet or VPN or satellite. They have! But ironically they educate people in a way which people don't have necessary knowledge to look at what is going on in outside world.
Average high school student maybe is better in algebra in compare to USA average high school student. But he or she lives in such isolated world he/she doesn't have clue what he she can do in world. They pump Islamic material from media , textbooks, billboards, etc in such a way people cannot see there could be another life style.

Take for example English. Average English knowledge in common people (even in academia) in Iran basically is zero. New generation tend to be better but far from acceptable. Khamenei is genius (I am exaggerating, he see all intelligences analysis, he should aware of this fact, but you get the point) about 6 month ago started to take opposite position against learning English language in children. Which is quite big deal, it shows how much this is important. Leader of country comes in public and says he is against learning some language.

He literally wants all textbook to translate into Persian , even abbreviations.

You know what? Because he knows if people don't know English he can control them better, because he can control media better. About content quality, I would say ordinary programmer weblog is far better than Iran's 99% news agencies official sites.

In Islamic regime they created kind of cultural isolation. If you smoke chemical drugs , they would be okay with that (of course they would not tell it publicly), but if you throw party with boys and girls , they are going to catch you without any doubt. You know what ? Because it is serious threat to established calture.

They created kind of fear mongering , like look at West these guys all are going to hell. They fuck each other's wife in every occasion. They kind of have built their existence on traditional calture which thinks of your wife, daughter, mom as your object.

They show every body who goes west becomes gay, or his wife betrays him.

You see what I am saying? Maybe for us it is pure nonsense, because our mind does not think of our female relatives as our object. But in traditional society is has been worked.

Secondly, do you know why they catch you if you throw party? (Of course rich people do what ever they want, I am talking about middle class lower class)
Because they fear like hell. Because they know (they are professional politicians) they are on losing side.

When average 20 year boy and girl did experience freedom, do you think he or she would give fuck about Allah or Mohammad or Islam ?
Of course not. And this is the Achilles heel of islamic regime.

Give me good budget, I would change Iran in just 20 year. Just with pumping free information. Free VPN. Khamenei is genius. He has been talking about cultural war for almost 20 year. He knows USA will never attack (who are we kidding?), He knows they only threat to his regime is cultural collapse.

They are trying best they can.

There is not real university in Iran. There is no professionals in Iran. Yes. You read me right. All elite people tend to escape from Iran (other than minor portion who end up working for regime for huge amount salary in regime infrastructure).

You bang your head against wall if tell you how ridiculous are universities in Iran. I am studying in unversicity ranked 23 in nation. You are not going to believe how what the crap I have gone through. I am saying this because truly educated people is serious danger to regime. Why would they want university if they will create generation of danger ?

They whole nation is like sell oil and give allowance to people to live. There is no fucking industry. There are some manufacturers, remained from Shah or Reformist area. But the whole idea is like sell oil and give people allowance , because they would never courage to stand up (because there is no private sector).

I have seen with my own eyes what happens when average ordinary boy watches 10 season of Friends. He asks "if these people can have such healthy relationship with each other and other gender in society, why I can't?" And after a while he realizes Islamic regime and Islam is root of the problem.

They are really happy people like me to live the country, because people like me is where real danger come from. People who live their westernish life style and show people how much crap regime fed into their brain.