An Education Official Reports a Shortage of 13,000 Classrooms in Tehran Province

The Director General of School Renovation in Tehran Province announced that the province is facing a shortage of 13,000 classrooms and requires "40 trillion tomans" in funding to address this issue. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education is currently also facing a shortage of teachers. Abbas Zarei, the Director General of School Renovation in Tehran Province, stated in an interview with the government news agency Tasnim that "banks have not participated in school construction projects in the last three years." This comes despite various facilities being approved in recent years to implement Ali Khamenei's directive to increase the population, including loans related to marriage and childbearing. This education official indicated that the cities of Quds, Shahriar, Baharestan, Qarchak, and Malard in Tehran Province have the "lowest educational space per capita" and noted that among the 19 districts of Tehran, districts 17, 15, 18, 19, and 9 are facing "severe school shortages," which has led to an increase in student populations in classrooms. According to this government official, the current educational space per student is 16.5 square meters, while it should reach 28.5 square meters. The Director General of School Renovation in Tehran also linked the overcrowding of students in classrooms to the "lack of teachers" and emphasized that "even if classrooms are increased, the education system may not have enough teachers." Zarei discussed the cooperation of the "Foundation of the Oppressed" and the "Executive Headquarters of Imam's Command"—institutions under Ali Khamenei's supervision—in building schools in Tehran Province, stating: "The Barakat and Alavi Foundations help us, but this assistance is not sufficient at all. The cost of building a school with 15 classrooms is 30 billion tomans, and a 3 or 4 billion toman contribution is not effective." He emphasized that 70% of educational projects are built with the participation of benefactors, but in terms of financial resources, 30% of the required funding is provided by benefactors. In September of this year, on the eve of the school year in Iran, Ahmad Mahmoudzadeh, the Deputy Minister of Education of the Islamic Republic, stated that the main issue and priority of this ministry is "providing teachers." Previously, Alireza Monadi Sefidan, the head of the Education and Research Commission of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, reported a shortage of 70,000 to 80,000 teachers for the new school year, stating that the retirement of many teachers would create "large gaps" in the education system. Government pressures on teachers' union activists have intensified in recent years, especially following the nationwide protests of 2022, with several of them being arrested or facing penalties such as forced retirement, dismissal, suspension, and asset confiscation. The new school year is approaching with a shortage of 80,000 teachers, the retirement of 72,000 teachers, and a shortage of 176,000 teachers in the new school year. The shadow of poverty looms over educators; stories of meager salaries and uninsured work for teachers. Teachers' unions hope that the demands of the people will be realized in the new year. The recruitment of 20,000 "caretakers" for schools; the conversion of the status of service-purchased teachers; perhaps another time. The Minister of Education's response to criticisms: We do not have classrooms without teachers. A member of the Education Commission of the Parliament: 68,000 teachers have left the education system.