Teachers' protests continue in Iran; protesters say wages are not enough to live a decent life

Following a call for a rally by the Coordination Council of Iranian Teachers' Unions, teachers in several provinces of Iran have held protest rallies. The protesters are demanding the implementation of a ranking plan for 80 percent of the faculty and say they will not attend classes until they receive their due.

According to reports, on the eve of the reopening of schools in Iran, on Tuesday, September 20, widespread protests were held, at least in Tehran in front of the Ministry of Education building, and in the provinces of Khuzestan, Lorestan, and Central Khorasan, in front of the education department buildings in several cities.

These gatherings were held following a call issued by the Coordination Council of Iranian Teachers' Unions.

The rally call, referring to the "September 11 statement of the Coordination Council of Iranian Teachers' Unions" and referring to the demands of teachers and the problems of students, states: "Despite numerous letters, negotiations, and rallies, [these demands] have remained unanswered by the government and parliament, and the salaries and wages of teachers do not cover the cost of a decent life."

The statement emphasized that "families cannot afford to pay school fees or provide virtual education equipment and tools, and virtual teaching is highly inefficient and does not meet educational and nurturing goals."

The Coordination Council of Iranian Teachers' Unions also, in another statement addressed to the Iranian people on the eve of the reopening of schools, refers to global crises such as the Corona virus and, emphasizing the "bigger and more catastrophic crises" that the Iranian people are enduring due to "wrong government policies," says that as a result of the lack of necessary educational facilities and infrastructure, "30 percent of students have dropped out of school."

This statement does not consider the problems of educators to be limited to the problems of virtual education, and emphasizing that "teachers' salaries are not in line with rampant inflation and high prices," it says: "The official poverty line is 12 million tomans, while newly hired teachers do not receive more than three and a half million, and hired teachers face double exploitation and do not even receive a salary of one million tomans."

• Videos of teachers' protests in Iran

In a video, protesters from Khuzestan chant in front of the Ahvaz Education Department: “Our phones and tablets are our privacy.” They protest the indifference of state media to these protests, saying: “Where is the sound and image? Our voice is silent.”

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

Source: Voice of America