Criticism from an Iranian Teachers' Organization on the 'Significant Reduction' of Education Budget

The Coordinating Council of Teachers' Trade Unions in Iran criticized what it termed the 'significant reduction' of the education budget in recent years in a letter to the President and members of Parliament, stating that this issue poses a 'serious challenge' to the formation of human capital. In the letter published on the Telegram channel of the Coordinating Council of Teachers' Trade Unions, it was warned that 'with this trend, the deterioration of the situation is much more seriously predictable.' This trade union referred to the 2018 budget, adding that the allocated share for the Ministry of Education contradicts human development policies and the principles of the Constitution, especially Article 30 of this law. Article 30 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran states: 'The government is obliged to provide free education for all people until the end of secondary education and to expand higher education free of charge to the extent of the country's self-sufficiency.' Previously, teachers' trade unions have repeatedly criticized the government's disregard for this principle and called for the provision of facilities for free education for students. The Coordinating Council of Teachers' Trade Unions pointed out issues such as the reduction of the education budget share in the 2018 budget, the inadequate living conditions of retired educators, low teachers' salaries, the lack of teacher ranking considerations, and the absence of funds for school renovations, all of which, according to this trade union, contradict human development policies and constitutional principles. Earlier, Mohammad Bat'hai, while defending his programs for the Ministry of Education on August 15 of this year, emphasized that 'educational justice development' would be 'the focus of his program' and that he would strive to 'improve the status and livelihood of teachers.' The council also criticized that in the 2018 budget, 'the Ministry of Education has been allowed to change the use of some of its educational spaces,' stating: based on what 'happened last year and is expected to continue with the approval of this clause, some educational spaces that have commercial positions will be repurposed and leased to the private sector.' According to the Coordinating Council of Teachers' Trade Unions, this will 'reduce the area of educational space, making it tighter for students' and will also 'disrupt the educational and cultural functions of these places and spaces.' The discussion of changing the use of educational space comes at a time when Mohammad Bat'hai had emphasized 'improving the quality of space and equipment' in schools in August. Previously, several teachers and activists for teachers' rights in Iran have repeatedly called for a 'fair budget' for education, meaning 'the necessary budget to provide free and quality education for all Iranian students and also allocate a fair salary for active and retired educators in the country.' Nevertheless, the government of Hassan Rouhani has not responded to these demands.