Continued Protest Gathering of Preschool Teachers in Ahvaz

In continuation of protest gatherings by preschool teachers in Khuzestan Province, a demonstration was held in Ahvaz on Monday, with teachers from Izeh and other parts of the province participating. One of the main demands of these teachers is employment by the Ministry of Education.

In continuation of protests by informal education teachers in Khuzestan Province, on Monday, November 5, a group of preschool teachers from Izeh gathered in protest in front of the Khuzestan General Directorate of Education building as well as the Khuzestan Provincial Governor’s Office in Ahvaz.

According to the ILNA news agency, the main demands of these teachers include payment of insurance premiums and their increase. They also protest their uncertain employment status.

Mohsen Hajimi Mirzaei, the Minister of Education, recently dashed these teachers’ hopes for employment by the Ministry of Education in a televised interview.

He said that informal teachers who started working after 1992 will not be hired.

Hajimi Mirzaei added: “The law does not commit to hiring individuals who have cooperated with the Ministry of Education in various forms after 1992, and my recommendation to those who have cooperated with the Ministry of Education during these years is to participate in relevant exams. That is, if they have a bachelor’s degree, they should take the Article 28 exam, and if they have a diploma, they should enter the Ministry of Education through Farhangian University.”

However, according to the protesters, teachers who worked with the Ministry of Education before 1992 were hired without any competitive exams.

Preschool teachers must also pay their insurance premiums themselves. One of these teachers told the Khoorna news agency: “This year, the insurance premium has reached over 700,000 tomans, which teachers pay out of pocket to the contractor.”

According to him, preschool teachers have no position in the Ministry of Education.

The ILNA news agency also quoted another protester as saying: “No one is willing to give us a straight answer. If we are killed in these protest commutes on dangerous roads from Izeh to Ahvaz, what will happen to our families?”

Currently, approximately 7,000 preschool teachers are employed in public schools in Khuzestan Province.

Widespread Protests by Teachers and Educators

The gathering of preschool teachers in Khuzestan Province on the fifth of November is one of several protests by these teachers in recent weeks. In September of this year, these teachers also gathered in front of the Islamic Consultative Assembly building in Tehran, demanding employment by the Ministry of Education.

The Teachers’ Professional Association has repeatedly complained about problems such as “poor economic conditions, corruption resulting from monopoly of wealth and power, discrimination, and widespread injustices.” Teachers and retired educators have repeatedly attempted to convey their voice of protest to officials through gatherings in front of Parliament.

One of these sit-ins occurred on December 2 of last year and was in response to a call by the Coordination Council of Professional Associations of Iranian Educators, who wanted to “give officials a wake-up call” through their solidarity on that day. This call was met with participation from teachers in cities such as Bushehr, Saqqez, Sanandaj, Marivan, Shiraz, Safadasht in Fars Province, Ziviye region in Kurdistan, Mashhad, and dozens of other cities.

Source: DW