A Group of Imprisoned Teachers: Should We Not Weep for the Fate of This Nation?!
A group of imprisoned teachers responded in a statement to several recent incidents, including the burning of several students and the deaths of ten university students. They say these events demonstrate that the lives of this nation’s children are of the least value to officials.
A group of teachers detained in Evin Prison issued a statement published on social media in response to several recent incidents, including the burning of several students in Zahedan and the deaths of ten students from Tehran Azad University.
The statement reads: “The pain from the burns that led to the death of innocent children in the kerosene heater overturning accident at the non-profit Osva Hasana school in Zahedan had not yet healed when another tragic incident severely affected society.”
The statement’s authors say: “The tragic death of 10 students and the injury of several others in the bus crash carrying students from the Science and Research Unit of Azad University, one of the important higher education institutions, once again proved that for some officials in the country, the lives of this nation’s children are of the least value.”
In a fire at one of the classrooms of the “Osva Hasana” preschool in Zahedan, four girls lost their lives. This incident occurred on Tuesday, the 27th of Azar (December 18, 2018). One week later, another tragic event shook public opinion in Iran. On Tuesday, the 4th of Dey (December 25), a bus carrying students from the Science and Research Unit of Azad University overturned while moving within the university’s premises. In this accident, 10 people lost their lives and 26 others were injured.
In the statement by teachers imprisoned in Evin Prison, it is stated: “Is it not shameful that students and university students, despite paying heavy tuition fees, and in conditions of severe economic pressure, are deprived of the minimum welfare facilities, and their families must be concerned about incidents resulting from the use of substandard equipment in educational environments?!”
The signatory political prisoners added: “Should we not weep for the fate of this nation, when it is said that the number of road casualties in the country due to the use of poor-quality vehicles produced domestically, by a particular group, exceeds the casualty figures of some wars?!”
The statement continues: “Unfortunately, the occurrence of successive incidents, each more painful than the last, has caused the sensitivity of officials and perhaps the public to gradually diminish, and the depth of the disasters that have occurred is not properly understood—disasters that each one, on its own, has the potential to bring about widespread changes in policies and collective resignations of developing managers.”
The statement was signed by Hamed Aeineh-vand, Aryasb Bavand, Mahmoud Bahrami Langaroudi, Mohammad Habibis, Hossein Sarlak, Ismail Abdi, Rouzbeh Mishkin-khat, Reza Maleki, and Taghi Nazari.
Source: DW
