Iran's Minister of Science Announces Re-examination of Recent University Hires

A few days after Masoud Pezeshkian's remarks about revisiting the cases of dismissed professors, the Minister of Science announced that the recent hiring cases at universities across the country would be reviewed again. On Saturday, September 1, Hossein Simayi Sarraf told ISNA news agency that according to a directive issued by Mohammad Mokhber, the former Vice President, after the death of Ebrahim Raisi, 'any recruitment and hiring during the transition between two governments until the establishment of the new government was prohibited; thus, universities were not allowed to hire or dismiss staff.' He emphasized, 'It must be investigated to see what has recently happened regarding the recruitment and transfer of faculty members and university staff, and if any violations are observed, action will be taken.' In July of this year, despite Masoud Pezeshkian's request, who was then the elected president, to the caretaker president to refrain from 'dismissals and appointments' and 'hiring' new individuals until the new government began its work, some media reported 'last-minute appointments' in the thirteenth government. Pezeshkian ordered the reinstatement of dismissed students and a review of the status of dismissed professors. Ali Sharifi Zarqi, a Sharif University professor who was considered dismissed and recently announced his return to the university, also tweeted at that time: 'Worrying news is coming about the irregular transfer of professors aligned with the current government to mother universities, the formal change of the dates of the university's board of trustees' resolutions, scholarships, promotions, or status changes of individuals outside the regulations in the Ministry of Science.' On September 8 of this year, during the introduction ceremony of his Minister of Science, Pezeshkian called for a review of all cases of professors who had either been dismissed or had their contracts terminated with universities. He stated that he had asked the relevant ministers to 'review all professors whose contracts have been terminated or who have been dismissed from the university in any way and to reinstate the students.' However, the Kayhan newspaper, in its September 10 issue, criticized Pezeshkian's remarks and orders in an article titled 'Illegal Return of Legally Dismissed Individuals, Mr. Pezeshkian! With What Justification?' This hardline newspaper, which is operated under the supervision of Ali Khamenei's representative, wrote: 'While our president called for the return of all dismissed students and professors, this general and sweeping command, without considering the legal documents of such cases, itself promotes lawlessness.' Recently, a student union at Sharif University also referred to the slogans raised by the new Iranian Minister of Science and asked him to reinstate the dismissed professors from this university. In a letter from the Islamic Student Association of Sharif University to Hossein Simayi Sarraf, Minister of Science, Research, and Technology, which was published in Iranian media, it was warned that the result of the process of dismissing university professors would lead to 'the country being emptied of specialists.' Following the protests of 2022, pressures on protesting students and supporting professors intensified. The Islamic Republic's approach to non-aligned professors has typically involved dismissal, suspension, or forced retirement. Last September, the Tehran-based newspaper 'Etemad' continued its scattered reports on the removal of critical professors, collecting and exposing the names of 52 other dismissed professors during Raisi's government. Domestic critical media refer to this government action as the 'university purification movement.' However, media close to the government and the thirteenth administration have fundamentally denied the issue of professor dismissals or framed it as a result of their role in supporting protests.