Contradictory Statements from Education Officials Regarding Teacher Ranking

In recent days, officials from the Ministry of Education have made contradictory statements regarding the number of teachers evaluated under the ranking law. This comes amid widespread criticism of the implementation of the law and the exclusion of several teachers from it. On Friday, June 2, the Deputy Minister of Education and Head of the Evaluation and Quality Assurance Center stated that approximately 600,000 teachers were assessed under the ranking law and their performance reports were issued. This statement by Mohsen Zarei came after the state news agency IRNA reported on May 10 that 806,000 teachers were eligible for ranking. On the same day, Reza Morad Sahraei, the Minister of Education, while overseeing the ministry, announced that the ranking plan would be completed by the end of May and mentioned that 45,000 teachers had not yet received a rank. In other words, according to his statements, by May 10, 701,000 out of 806,000 teachers had been ranked. Another issue regarding the ranking is the problems created for teachers. Previously, Mohammad Reza Niknejad, a member of the Iranian Teachers' Trade Association, stated on April 6 that 60 to 70 percent of teachers received incorrect ranks. In this context, Reza Morad Sahraei mentioned on June 1 that working groups to address teachers' grievances regarding the ranking implementation had been formed in various regions and provinces, and the process of addressing these grievances had begun. He deemed the 'end of this matter' conditional on 'other cooperating agencies' continuing to collaborate with the Ministry of Education, but did not specify which agencies he meant. However, it seems that the Minister of Education was referring to security and judicial bodies. In this regard, the newspaper Etemad reported on the same day that the implementation of the ranking for all employees in education has been necessary since the end of September 2021, and that many teachers have been deprived of ranking by order of the Ministry of Interior. Etemad noted that 'official narratives estimate the number of teachers excluded from ranking at 250, while unofficial narratives suggest a higher number.' Investigations show that many of these actions stem from a decree issued by the Ministry of Interior on October 3, 2022, which was communicated through provincial governors to the education departments and executed by special committees for educational emergencies and follow-ups. According to this report, in Kurdistan province alone, more than 48 teachers, in Kermanshah province 20 teachers, and in Tehran province more than 80 teachers have been excluded from the teachers' ranking list due to pursuing labor demands and participating in civil organizations. This is despite the fact that there is no provision in the ranking law regarding the exclusion of teachers. So far, neither the Ministry of Interior nor the Minister of Education has responded to the Etemad report. Additionally, Jala Mahmoudzadeh, a member of parliament from Mahabad, tweeted on May 9 that a group of teachers in several provinces of Iran have been excluded from the ranking law under the pretext of accusations of participating in protests and strikes. He described this situation as 'unpleasant news from education' and 'regrettable,' urging President Ebrahim Raisi to 'quickly intervene in this matter and deal with the perpetrators of this illegal action.' The Coordinating Council of Teachers' Trade Associations in Iran has also criticized the government's treatment of teachers, stating that this plan has turned from a tool for encouraging teachers into a means of controlling them. Alongside the issue of many teachers being deprived of the ranking law, the status of tens of thousands of teachers who have not received ranks remains unclear. Meanwhile, Etemad reported that the new Minister of Education will face hundreds of 'small and large issues' and added: 'It remains to be seen how a large organization with an audience of over half the country's population; 15 million students, 30 million parents, and one million educators, under the leadership of Reza Morad Sahraei, will grapple with these problems and whether he can untangle any of the collection of knots.' Mohammad Davari, spokesman for the Teachers' Organization, described the state of public education as a crisis, identifying the educational environment as one of the most fundamental issues. He noted that 'statistics indicate that 30 percent of our educational space is dilapidated and needs to be demolished. Another statistic states that 30 percent of the space is non-standard, which may not be demolishable or dilapidated but was not built for education, especially in non-profit schools that have turned administration and homes into schools... Another 30 percent are almost semi-standard.' Mr. Davari identified the lack of educational equipment, technology, and resources as examples of this critical indicator in education. He added that 'another indicator is the critical shortage of human resources, their fatigue, and lack of motivation.' The spokesman for the Teachers' Organization further stated that 'the mismatch between the content of textbooks and the significant gap between them and the interests and needs of students' is another problem in the education system, and he also named the economics of education as one of the major crises in the educational system in Iran. He said: 'Schools receive no per capita funding from the government, and all school expenses are covered by public donations. Only in deprived areas is a limited per capita allocated.' Previously, Sadegh Sattari-Fard, Deputy for Planning and Resource Development at the Ministry of Education, announced on January 22 that in 2021, 18,700 classrooms were formed with a density of over 40 students. He stated that in 2022, 'we witnessed an increase in the presence of foreigners in schools, and despite efforts to reduce classroom density, this number reached 16,600 classrooms.' This is while the standard classroom density should be 23 students. Additionally, Hassan Al-Hosseini, a former Deputy Minister of Education, suggested in a note for Etemad that the Minister of Education should recognize the personality of teachers and emphasized that 'instead of threatening continuous selection of teachers, it is better to take urgent actions to strengthen the scientific and professional capacity of teachers, increase their motivation through empathy and positive human relations with them, and also to make their compensation fair.' Narges Malekzadeh, a board member of the Teachers' Trade Association, also noted in a note in Etemad that 'the first task ahead of Sahraei is undoubtedly managerial dusting and strengthening a body that has been deprived of experts and has exacerbated the chaos in education in the administrative and organizational domain more than in previous years.' Ms. Malekzadeh also emphasized the 'completion of the teacher ranking project' by the Minister of Education and wrote: 'If he loses time, he will undoubtedly face the fate of Noury (the former minister). Therefore, he must conclude this ranking fiasco as quickly and effectively as possible.' She wrote about the limited time remaining until the beginning of the school year in September for Reza Morad Sahraei: 'If he does not act quickly, it will be difficult for him. At that time, he will be caught up in day-to-day management, and his presence at the top of the educational system will no longer matter.'