Deputy Minister Threatens 'Teacher Bloggers': Girls and Boys Study 'Unfiltered with Hijab' and 'One and Doubt'

Mohammad Hossein Pourthani, the Deputy Minister of Education, threatened 'teacher bloggers' with 'legal action' stating that the ministry has '50,000 student jihad groups' and that girls are studying the book 'Unfiltered with Hijab' while boys are studying 'One and Doubt' to 'produce works.' The Tasnim news agency, affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, reported on Sunday, May 6, that Pourthani stated there would be 'legal action against teacher bloggers in public and private schools' and that the Ministry of Education has already 'dealt with several of these individuals' who have been 'removed from the system.' This senior official claimed that 'if educational issues are resolved, students' educational problems will be alleviated,' and called for the cancellation of 'extracurricular programs' in schools to be replaced with 'alternative educational activities.' Pourthani considered 'student activism' as one of the 'important aspects' of educational activities working in the field of 'jihad clarification,' producing works in groups of five to seven. He elaborated that 'girl students study the book Unfiltered with Hijab, and boy students study the book One and Doubt and produce works.' He also mentioned that the Ministry of Education has '300,000 active elements' in the 'largest jihad clarification event.' The Deputy Minister accused 'teacher bloggers' of using students 'to gather followers on social media' and stated that several 'teacher impersonators' have been 'removed from the system' by the 'Administrative Violations Committee.' Previously, the dismissal of a teacher who sang along with students to music in class had made headlines. The Director General of Education in Mazandaran stated that 'following the broadcast of vulgar music by a teacher at a school in Qaem Shahr, necessary administrative action was taken, and cooperation with him was terminated, and it is highly likely that the school's operating license will also be revoked.' In addition to the dismissal of teacher bloggers, other actions by the 'Administrative Violations Committee' in education include the expulsion of teacher rights activists and political activists. Among them, Mohammad Hossein Sepehri had previously stated in a phone call from Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad that his dismissal from the Ministry of Education had been confirmed. There was also a protest gathering of social security retirees in Kermanshah demanding 'the imprisoned teacher must be freed.' Mahmoud Sedighi Pour, a member of the board of the Gilan Teachers' Association, spoke at a gathering on International Workers' Day and Teachers' Day in Langeroud. The Revolutionary Court of Najafabad sentenced a retired teacher to 11 years in prison. Protests by teachers were held in at least 10 cities in Iran despite government threats and promises. According to the Open Data Iran database, the minimum monthly wage for teachers in Iran is about $159. The case of Mohammad Hossein Sepehri has been sent to court for scheduling after about six months of detention.