Indifference of the Islamic Republic to Teachers' Problems; Protests Continue

As the problems of teachers and instructors at the Farhangian University persist, the ideological policies of the Islamic Republic have focused more on changing educational content and expanding government propaganda in textbooks rather than addressing the livelihood and legal crises of teachers. According to the government news agency ILNA, instructors at Farhangian University have protested against the "unfair implementation" of salary equalization and the lack of wage increases. 2,500 retired instructors from this university, who are covered by the National Retirement Fund, have been deprived of salary increases. Anushiravan Hajian, a representative of the retired instructors, emphasized in an interview with ILNA that "the formulas for salary equalization have been implemented unfairly, and in some cases, salary increases for instructors have been zero." He stated that despite continuous follow-ups, none of the officials are accountable for this "wage injustice." This retired instructor, with 35 years of teaching experience, announced that he has not received any salary increase, and all inquiries from instructors to the retirement fund and the Islamic Consultative Assembly have been fruitless. He added: "In 2019, the salaries of non-faculty instructors were not increased, and now we have been completely ignored in the salary equalization process." The livelihood problems of teachers, retirees, and instructors at Farhangian University are only part of a larger educational crisis in Iran. In recent months, widespread protests by teachers across the country have criticized low wages, neglect of insurance and benefits, and the poor conditions of schools and educational facilities. However, the response of the Islamic Republic to these protests has been not only indifference but also repression. Many teacher union activists have been arrested and threatened, and there has been no tangible change in their legal and welfare status. While teachers' dissatisfaction with their livelihood and legal conditions has reached its peak, the policies of the Islamic Republic in the field of education have focused more on changing the content of textbooks and promoting government ideology. In recent years, under the orders of Ali Khamenei, extensive changes have been made to the educational content of schools, eliminating scientific and historical subjects, and increasing ideological propaganda in textbooks, while the infrastructural, legal, and livelihood problems of teachers have been ignored. These policies reflect the priorities of the ruling system, which has focused on engineering the thoughts of students rather than improving the quality of education and the status of teachers. Despite government promises to improve teachers' conditions and implement salary equalization plans, evidence shows that these programs have had little impact on the lives of teachers and instructors. Many Farhangian University instructors continue to live with meager salaries and without job security. 2,500 instructors with master's and doctoral degrees are waiting for changes in their status, but experience has shown that the Islamic Republic does not prioritize improving teachers' conditions. Observers and experts believe that as long as teachers' livelihood problems are not resolved and the government does not focus on improving educational conditions instead of ideological policies, protests and dissatisfaction will continue.