Educational Promises at Odds with Economic Realities; Iranian People in Straits, Government Priorities Abroad

Educational promises made by regime officials contradict the economic realities that the Iranian people are struggling with.

Masoud Pezeshkian, Iran’s president, at the opening of the 38th nationwide meeting of education officials, once again emphasized the importance of teachers and schools, saying: “There is no place more important than the teacher, school, preschool and primary school that builds the country’s future. You cannot fix a nation by slogans, and you cannot reform society by claims. Change in behavior cannot be forced either; behavioral change comes from the heart and must spring from within.”

Pezeshkian, emphasizing the role teachers play in shaping beliefs, added: “When change takes root in the heart, it does not leave so easily. A person is willing to give their life and soul for their belief to reach a goal they believe in. You teachers plant these beliefs in hearts, and you are the ones who shape these perspectives.”

In his remarks, while alluding to families’ dissatisfaction with the state of education, he added: “Why are children in many parts of the country not satisfied in government schools? Parents are dissatisfied and children are not receiving good education. This pain is unbearable for people. Why can’t we solve it?”

Pezeshkian also emphasized: “We must go beyond and solve these problems. It must be within human existence to find a way for it. If we have the will, we can solve everything. When we have pain, it keeps us awake and we search for a cure.”

While the head of the fourteenth administration speaks of educational concerns and justice in schools, people struggle daily more with inflation, poverty and economic crisis. Many schools across the country still face shortages of teachers, basic educational equipment and even standard facilities. The serious question of society is: if the country’s future depends on schools and teachers, why are large budgets spent on supporting proxy groups and political projects in Lebanon, Palestine and other countries instead of addressing domestic problems?

This blatant contradiction has deepened public anger and despair. Teachers who have months of unpaid wages and families who cannot afford to enroll their children in proper schools witness every day that the government is spending generously elsewhere.

Despite all the slogans, Iranian society still expects rulers to prioritize the fundamental problems of teachers, schools and families’ livelihoods instead of spending beyond borders. The future that the president speaks of will not be realized without educational justice and minimum welfare for the people.