Continued Teacher Protests in Iran; Demonstrators Say: Wages Don’t Provide a Dignified Living

Following a call for a gathering by the Coordination Council of Iranian Educators’ Professional Associations, teachers in several Iranian provinces held protest rallies. The demonstrators are demanding implementation of a ranking plan equivalent to 80 percent of faculty members, saying they will not enter classrooms until their rights are secured.

According to reports, on the eve of school reopenings in Iran, on Tuesday, September 21, extensive protests were held at least in Tehran in front of the Ministry of Education building, and in Khuzestan, Lorestan, and Central Khorasan provinces, in front of local education department buildings in several cities.

These gatherings were held following a call issued by the Coordination Council of Iranian Educators’ Professional Associations.

In the gathering announcement, referring to the “Statement of September 12 by the Coordination Council of Iranian Educators’ Professional Associations” and educators’ demands and students’ problems, it stated: “Despite numerous letters, negotiations, and gatherings, [these demands] have gone unanswered by the government and parliament, and educators’ wages and salaries do not provide for the cost of a dignified living.”

The statement emphasized that “families do not have the ability to pay school tuition, provide virtual education equipment and tools, and virtual teaching has been very ineffective and does not achieve educational goals.”

The Coordination Council of Iranian Educators’ Professional Associations also issued another statement on the eve of school reopenings, addressing the Iranian people and referencing global crises such as coronavirus, while emphasizing “greater and more catastrophic crises” that Iranians endure due to “incorrect government policies,” stating that as a result of the lack of necessary educational facilities and infrastructure, “30 percent of students have dropped out.”

This statement does not limit educators’ problems to virtual education issues and, emphasizing that “teacher salaries do not match rampant inflation and price increases,” states: “The official poverty line is 12 million tomans, while newly hired teachers receive no more than 3.5 million tomans, contract teachers face double exploitation and do not even receive one million tomans in wages.”

• Videos of Teacher Protests in Iran

In one video, Khuzestan demonstrators chant in front of the Ahvaz Education Department: “Our phones and tablets are our privacy.” Protesting the government media’s neglect of these demonstrations, they say: “Where is state TV and radio, our voice is unheard.”

In Lorestan province, teachers in at least Khorramabad and Aligudarz cities took to the streets and demanded solutions to their problems.

Source: Voice of America