72,000 Teachers Retiring and a Shortage of 176,000 Educators in the New Academic Year

The head of the Research Center of the Islamic Consultative Assembly announced that the government owes more than 70 trillion tomans to educators and stated that there is a shortage of 176,000 teachers in the new academic year. Babak Negahdari emphasized that it is predicted that about 72,000 teachers will retire by October 2024, making it harder for the Ministry of Education to secure human resources. Negahdari also pointed to the neglect of developing the capacities of the Teacher Training University, the weakening and dissolution of teacher training centers, and the set of laws determining the employment status of teachers from 2009 to 2021 as factors contributing to the crisis in human resources within the Ministry of Education. The head of the Research Center of the Parliament reported a lack of willingness among men in large cities to be hired, stating that the salaries received do not match their living costs, which has resulted in severe shortages of human resources in some cities and surpluses in others. The statements from the head of the Research Center indicate that planning has no place in the educational system under the Islamic Republic, and the absence of an educational and scientific development vision has led to current problems and issues in the education sector. One of these issues is the shortage of teachers in schools, which was also at its highest historical level last academic year. In this context, on November 1, 2023, Mohammad Wahidi, a member of the Education Commission of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, reported that 68,000 teachers had left the Iranian educational system at the beginning of the academic year, and there were 100,000 classrooms without teachers. Mohammad Taqi Fallahi, the secretary of the Teachers' Trade Association of Tehran, also mentioned that the 'severe budget deficit of the Ministry of Education' is one of the main factors behind this issue. Last year, the teacher shortage in schools reached a point where the website 'Shabake Shargh' reported in October 2023 that some school principals had asked families to attend classes and review last year's lessons for students. Reza Morad Sahraei, the Minister of Education of the Islamic Republic, also confirmed a shortage of 200,000 teachers and promised that, in addition to recruiting 75,000 new teachers, the shortages would be compensated by employing retirees and final-year students from the Teacher Training University. Now, nine months after the peak of the crisis in the last academic year and the promises of the Minister of Education, not only have the problems not been resolved, but with the retirement of nearly 72,000 teachers, the challenge of securing human resources in education will be even greater than before. This is while current employed and contracted teachers are also facing wage arrears and repression of their legal demands. The teacher shortage and the promises of Islamic Republic officials to 'provide teachers' for classrooms without teachers have reached the highest historical levels, and it seems that even if human resources are recruited, the number of applicants will not meet the required amount. This unwillingness to work in the education system, regardless of economic issues and delays in salary payments, stems from the repression of educators' and teachers' demands, who have repeatedly protested for their professional and livelihood demands in recent years and criticized the prevailing educational policies in the country. According to this report, government pressures on teacher union activists have intensified in recent years, especially after the nationwide protests of 2022, and several of them have been arrested or faced measures such as forced retirement, dismissal, suspension, and confiscation of assets. Mohammad Habibi, the spokesperson for the Teachers' Trade Association of Tehran, has been tried again. Discovery of 1,600 student violations in final exams. The Teachers' Union Council in Iran: Elections 'in this structure' have no significance. A teacher summoned on charges of 'conspiracy and collusion'; Mohammad Habibi: I have been tried once for this case. Continued pressure on teachers; dismissal due to an Instagram post.