IRGC's Move to Dominate Education System with 'Soldier Teachers'; Priority Given to Basij Members for Recruitment as Teachers

In the 'Soldier Teacher' directive approved by the government on May 30, it was noted that priority for recruiting soldier teachers is given to 'active Basij members and those with supplementary cards' following a bilateral agreement between the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Ministry of Education on May 24. According to 'Voice of America', the identification, organization, and recruitment of Basij members as 'soldier teachers' will be conducted under the direct supervision of the provincial IRGC, meaning the Ministry of Education will not have sole decision-making power. An informed source in the Ministry of Education told the 'Fars' news agency that 'this year, permission has been granted for the activity of 3,200 recruited soldier teachers.' The Iranian education system has long utilized soldier teachers in underprivileged areas, who are often educated individuals from families of educators. In this system, the Ministry of Education comfortably employs 'completely temporary' forces for teaching, and according to soldier teachers, after 'two years of work with low wages', they are left to their own devices with no attention given to their employment requests. The new directive also emphasizes that 'continuation of employment for duty teachers after completing military service in the Ministry of Education under any title is prohibited.' Although there is a possibility for soldier teachers to be hired in the same region and village if Article 28 of the Cultural University Charter is adhered to, this has never occurred, leading them to join the ranks of the unemployed after two years of service. Article 28 of the Cultural University Charter states that the Ministry of Education can recruit part of its required workforce through employment exams, considering regulations and rules among graduates of other universities and research institutions across the country, provided they complete at least one year of training at the 'Cultural University'. Educators and teachers have repeatedly expressed their professional demands in recent years, including employment conditions, improved benefits, and recently, reforming the ranking process. Protests and the potential for expansion to other professions have become more pronounced in recent months. In this context, numerous widespread protests have been held by teachers this year, and Jalal Mahmoudzadeh, a member of parliament from Mahabad, announced on Tuesday, May 9, that a group of teachers in several provinces of Iran have been deprived of the ranking law due to allegations of participating in protests and strikes. He described this issue as 'unpleasant news from the Ministry of Education' and 'regrettable', urging Ebrahim Raisi, the president of the Islamic Republic of Iran, to 'immediately intervene and deal with the perpetrators of this illegal action.' Teachers' protests occurred despite severe security measures in 14 provinces of Iran, in response to 'violations of basic rights, detention of teachers, lack of ranking, and equalization of salaries', and the teachers' protests against the government's failure to implement the ranking plan, which has turned from a tool to encourage teachers into a means of control over them. According to the 'Coordination Council of Iranian Teachers' Trade Unions', teachers have been waiting for over a decade for the equalization of retirees' salaries. The soldier teacher directive and the planning for 'recruiting 3,200' personnel with 'priority for Basij members' have been approved and published at a time when the government's approach to creating files and applying security pressures against labor activists has intensified, and teachers' demands remain unanswered. Last Bahman (January) the Director General of 'Witness and Veterans Affairs' of the Ministry of Education announced a new approach of this ministry in education, stating that 'the promotion of martyrdom culture in schools has begun and the content of textbooks will also be changed with this approach.' Zahra Panahi Rava emphasized that textbooks will gradually change, considering all topics related to 'promoting martyrdom in the upcoming changes.' In Shahrivar (September) of last year, the then Minister of Education of the Islamic Republic also announced changes to textbooks at the order of Ali Khamenei, stating that the content of 200 textbook titles would be changed. Negah Bahrami, a former deputy of public relations at the Ministry of Education, previously emphasized the role of this ministry and the minister in the attack on schools during the 'revolutionary uprising of the people' and also in widespread poisoning incidents, as an arm of the security forces.