Basij's Educational Plan for One Million Iranian Students

The head of the Basij Organization announced the implementation of a seven-year educational plan known as the 'Martyr Behnam Mohammadi Plan' in Iranian schools, stating: 'In this plan, two or three Basij members from each mosque will assist parents and school staff in educational activities.' According to ISNA news agency, Gholamhossein Ghaibparvar, speaking to Basij student commanders in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province, added: 'This educational plan will begin next school year, covering one million students.' He noted that the 'Martyr Behnam Mohammadi Plan' is a special initiative of this military organization and described it as a 'link between mosque, school, and home.' Behnam Mohammadi, a young Basij member, was killed in October 1980 during the Iraqi forces' attack on Khorramshahr. The head of the Basij Organization also stated that 'each of our youth should be connected to at least one mosque,' adding: 'One cannot be considered a Basij member without any connection to a mosque.' This military official of the Islamic Republic also discussed the role of schools in the 'Martyr Behnam Mohammadi Plan,' stating: 'Our schools must be centers of education before teaching.' Gholamhossein Ghaibparvar also praised what he called the 'good views of the Minister of Education,' saying: 'Collaboration between Basij and education must be strengthened more than ever.' The remarks from the head of the Basij Organization regarding the implementation of this plan came just days after protests in about 100 cities in Iran, during which several students were arrested and at least two students were killed. In this context, according to the Young Journalists Club website, Mohammad Bat'haei, the Minister of Education, stated on January 9 that the involvement of some students in recent protests was due to economic problems. So far, Iranian officials have not provided specific statistics on the detained students, but Mohammad Reza Aref, head of the reformist faction in the parliament, known as the 'Hope Faction,' said on January 10 that all students, except for a very few, have been released. Previously, Hossein Zolfaqari, Deputy Minister of Interior, had announced that most of the detainees from recent protests are under 25 years old. According to Mahmoud Sadeghi, a parliament member, 3,700 individuals have been arrested during the recent protests in Iranian cities. Meanwhile, Masoumeh Ebtekar, Vice President for Women and Family Affairs, pointed out that 'a significant number of the detainees' are young people and stated that 'we need deep intergenerational dialogue. We definitely need to hear the voices of teenagers and young people, as we have not provided enough opportunity and space to hear the voices of the generations of the 70s and 80s, neither in families nor in society.'