Reporting by PMOI/MEK
Iran, October 23, 2019—A member of the Tehran Province Teachers Union said on Tuesday that the Iranian regime’s Education Department keeps a lid on various issues and any official that reports lesser problems to senior officials is considered a better individual in their apparatus.
“We are not talking about just the teachers or those teachers working on part-time contracts. Currently, there are others working for the Education Department that also face numerous problems in their line of work. On the other hand, official teachers have specific working hours. Other groups, such as student teachers… soldier teachers and other freelance workers that mainly work in non-government schools are facing a number of difficulties,” said Hossein Ramezani Sarajari during an interview with state TV.
“The last paycheck provided for official teachers was provided for just a few days ago and only covered until the month of February. Currently, Education Department officials are attempting to fill in empty classrooms with official part-time teachers. However, since their paychecks are provided with long delays, the teachers are unhappy, and they will not work based on part-time contracts. In such circumstances, some schools in Tehran and other Tehran Province cities, especially elementary schools, are without teachers,” he continued.
“There certainly are numbers on how many elementary, intermediate and high school classes are without teachers. A shortage in employees, lack of motivation among teachers to work based on part-time contracts have led to the current circumstances,” Sarajari continued.
Teachers in Iran have a long history of launching protests and nationwide strikes.
A group of education workers in the city of Isfahan, central Iran, held a gathering outside the Education Department on October 3, protesting not receiving any answers to their demands. Education workers held a similar protest gathering in Tabriz, a city in northwest Iran, outside the regime’s Education Department in response to a call for such a gathering.
In recent weeks, teachers in numerous cities across Iran have been continuing their protest rallies seeking answers to their demands and launching periodic strikes in the process.
August 4 – Tehran, #Iran
Part time teachers from across the country protesting outside the regime's Education Ministry.Chants:
"No more promises, implement the law"#IranProtests pic.twitter.com/yFDt9xNzZo— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) August 4, 2019
In June, a group of kindergarten teachers rallied in different cities across Khuzestan Province, southwest Iran, protesting regime officials’ refusal to upgrade their job status from part-time to full-time contracts. Working based on part-time contracts since 2013, they were demanding immediate changes to their job status.
“We have held two protest rallies in the past two weeks, asking why the teachers – most with many years of experience – have not received full-time contracts. Unfortunately, no official is willing to provide us with any answers,” one protesting teacher said.
“We are demanding that our job status be revised and we will continue our protests until officials respond to our demands,” a protesting teacher said.
July 28 – Tehran, #Iran
For the second day, retired teachers hold a protest rally outside the mullahs' Budget & Planning Org., demanding their stolen money returned.#IranProtests pic.twitter.com/mWu7KTWOAo— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) July 28, 2019
In February, teachers, and educators in the cities of Mashhad, Sanandaj, Khorramabad, Marivan, Urmia, Karaj, Ardabil and … rallied outside their local Education Departments, protesting their colleagues’ detention, poor economic conditions, low paychecks and authorities’ delays in delivering their paychecks.
The main demands raised by these courageous teachers were:
1) Being able to provide decent living conditions
2) Preserving the teachers’ dignity
3) Free education for all
4) Equalizing paychecks for current and retired teachers and educators
