An Education Ministry Official: 'Hijabification' of Girls' Schools is Underway

The Deputy Minister of Education for 'Cultural and Educational Affairs' announced that 'hijabification' in schools is currently being implemented, emphasizing that 'hijab and chastity' must start from within schools. Asghar Baqerzadeh, the Deputy Minister of Education, told the ILNA news agency that alongside 'hijabification' of girls' schools, an environment must be created where hijab is also observed outside of school. Students were among the focal points of protests that swept across Iran last year following the death of Mahsa Amini while in custody of the 'morality police.' The publication of various images from student protests prompted reactions from officials of the Islamic Republic. Schools in Iran also witnessed serial poisonings last fall and winter, which affected the community for months. Baqerzadeh stated that efforts must be made to ensure 'students and their families fully understand the value of hijab, honor, and chastity.' He emphasized that in 'religious lessons' and 'heavenly gifts, Quran lessons, and Quranic concepts,' there are numerous 'educational texts on chastity and hijab' even in history and literature. This official mentioned that 'schools are currently making efforts for hijabification. Some schools have budgets and are carrying out this work themselves.' According to the 'Hijab and Chastity Bill,' once finalized, the Ministry of Education must prepare regulations for 'appropriate dress models based on Islamic culture' separately for students, teachers, and staff. This approach by the Ministry of Education regarding 'hijab' comes at a time when the 'Hijab and Chastity Bill' also includes penalties for students. According to a member of the Judicial and Legal Commission of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, paragraph 5 of Article 46 of the bill states that for 'students in educational centers' who commit 'bad hijab' or 'unveiling' or 'failure to observe Sharia hijab' within the centers, after 'three instances' or repetitions, the 'disciplinary committee' of the educational center is 'competent to address' them, and 'disciplinary regulations' will be enforced against them. Hassan Noorouzi emphasized on September 6 that students who repeat offenses for the fourth time will be referred by the 'disciplinary committee' or 'security' of the educational center to 'FARAJA' for the enforcement of this law. Meanwhile, on August 22, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, the Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, labeled claims of 'summoning students to the police station' in the 'Hijab and Chastity Bill' as 'absolute lies.' At the same time, a member of parliament during the review of the request to implement Article 85 in the 'Hijab and Chastity Bill' stated that this bill even addresses the 'student sector.' Gholamreza Noori Qazlijeh emphasized that when a 10-year-old student violates this law in school, the parents who sent their child to school in the morning must pick them up from the police station at night, which 'could disrupt society.' However, Qalibaf responded to this criticism by stating that 'no one, no woman under 18 is even summoned or taken to the police station. The claim that you must go collect them from the police station is completely false.' Ali Rabiei, the former Minister of Labor of the Islamic Republic and former Deputy Minister of Intelligence, also predicted in August that the 'Hijab and Chastity Law' under consideration in the Islamic Consultative Assembly, if passed, would 'bring conflict and strife' into schools as well. United Nations human rights experts expressed serious concern about the so-called 'Hijab and Chastity Bill' in September, calling it 'gender apartheid.' According to eight UN experts, including Javaid Rehman, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran, 'the draft of this law can be described as a form of gender apartheid because it appears that the authorities intend to govern through systematic discrimination aimed at completely subjugating women and girls.' International schools in Iran have been banned from accepting students with Iranian citizenship. The reopening of schools in Iran follows a year in which students were poisoned, arrested, and beaten. The scent of September brings astronomical costs; media reports indicate that parents are paying for school transportation in installments. Jamileh Alamolhoda claimed that many were killed in protests, but in defense of the Islamic Republic. Teachers' union activists criticized administrative, security, and judicial actions against educators in Iran. The Iranian Retirees Council stated that educational policies have separated a portion of children from schools. The school year begins in impoverished areas; classes without desks and benches host students.