Media Accounts of the Teacher Shortage Crisis in Primary Education

The online version of a prominent Iranian newspaper has addressed the issue of human resource shortages in the country's education system as the new school year approaches, stating that there has been a crisis of teacher shortages in recent years. "We are not only facing this crisis in border provinces, but also in Tehran, where there are high statistics of schools that have been without teachers for several months during the school year," the report from 'Shahrak-e Sharq' emphasizes. It notes that districts in Tehran Province are facing severe teacher shortages, with areas such as Islamshahr, Shahriar, and Chahardangeh lacking teachers for nearly two months during the last school year, and their staff was insufficient for the students. Due to the shortage of teachers, primary school classes in the districts surrounding Tehran were practically empty throughout the week last year. The report also mentions statistical manipulation by the Ministry of Education, stating that some officials adjust relevant statistics to show that they have covered the teacher shortage crisis. The report adds that with a salary of 15 million tomans and a poverty risk of 30 million in Iran, teachers are below the poverty line, making the profession unattractive to applicants, and that the selection process is "harassing." It emphasizes that a religious minority candidate was rejected in the Ministry of Education's selection process simply because his mother owned a beauty salon. The teacher shortage in the new school year has been a repeatedly warned issue. In this context, the head of the Education Commission and Research of the Islamic Consultative Assembly reported in July that there is a shortage of 70,000 to 80,000 teachers for the new school year, stating that the retirement of many teachers will create "huge gaps" in the education system. The head of the Research Center of the Islamic Consultative Assembly also reported on July 10 that the government owes over 70 trillion tomans to educators and stated that there is a shortage of 176,000 teachers in the new school year. On November 9, 2023, Mohammad Wahidi, a member of the Education Commission of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, reported that 68,000 teachers left the Iranian education system at the beginning of the school year, and there are 100,000 classrooms without teachers. According to this report, as the new school year approaches and concerns about the teacher shortage increase, the Deputy Minister of Secondary Education announced on September 23 that the management of the teacher shortage will be handled by employing retired educators. Mohammad Mahdi Kazemi also emphasized the continuation of the teacher shortage issue, stating that while the shortage for the new school year has been managed, it still exists. Experts believe that part of the management intended by the Deputy Minister is the same approach of adjusting statistics mentioned by Shahrak-e Sharq. The emphasis by officials on holding recruitment exams and using retirees comes at a time when current employed and contracted teachers are facing wage arrears and suppression of their legal demands. Reports indicate that despite the holding of recruitment exams, there has not been much interest, indicating a lack of willingness to work in the education system. Experts attribute this lack of motivation, aside from economic issues and delays in salary payments, to the suppression of educators' demands, as government pressures on teacher union activists have intensified in recent years, especially after the nationwide protests of 2022, with some being arrested or facing measures such as forced retirement, dismissal, suspension, and confiscation of property. The new school year is approaching with a shortage of 80,000 teachers. The retirement of 72,000 teachers and a shortage of 176,000 educators in the new school year. The shadow of poverty over educators' tables; narratives of meager salaries and uninsured work for teachers. Teachers' unions: We hope the people's demands will be realized in the new year. Two months after the start of the school year; "Schools without teachers" have been confirmed despite the minister's denial. Recruitment of 20,000 "caretakers" for schools; conversion of the status of contracted teachers; perhaps another time. The Minister of Education's response to criticisms: We do not have classes without teachers.