Medicalian's Call for Review on Dismissals of Professors and Students, Silence on Dismissal of Hundreds of Teachers

The President of the fourteenth government of the Islamic Republic called for a review of the status of dismissed professors and canceled contracts from universities, as well as the rulings issued against students during a ceremony for the introduction and farewell of the Minister of Science. This comes as a labor activist claims that over 330 teachers have been dismissed in the past two years. Masoud Pezeshkian, the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, on Thursday, September 8, asked the new Minister of Science, Research, and Technology, Hossein Simayi Sarraf, to facilitate the return of dismissed professors and students by reviewing their status. Pezeshkian stated, "A student cannot be a bad person; they protest, and I must respond, or their argument is right, and I must obey, or they are mistaken, and I must guide them." Pezeshkian's alleged criticism of the dismissal of professors and students during Ebrahim Raisi's tenure comes despite his previous admission in 2014 that he participated in the "purges of the early revolution" and enforced hijab in hospitals and universities before it was officially mandated. Following the nationwide protests in 2021 after the death of Mahsa Amini in the custody of the morality police, thousands of students faced legal cases and disciplinary rulings from university security, leading to suspensions or expulsions. Additionally, a significant number of professors were dismissed under the pretext of "contract cancellations" or their contracts were not renewed. Recently, Ali Sharifi Zarchi, one of the professors dismissed last year who supported Pezeshkian during the voting for Ebrahim Raisi's successor, announced that his return to Sharif University was confirmed after a year of hiatus, and he would resume teaching in the new semester while pursuing the return of his colleagues. Dismissals following the 2021 protests were not limited to university professors but also included several labor activists and members of families seeking justice. However, Pezeshkian did not mention these individuals in his remarks today. Mohammad Habibi, a well-known member of the teachers' trade union, noted that Pezeshkian did not refer to the return of dismissed teachers during the introduction and farewell ceremony of the Minister of Education, despite over 330 teachers being dismissed in the past two years due to their labor and civil activities, with thousands of others receiving various disciplinary rulings. The contradictions in Pezeshkian's statements and actions have previously attracted the attention of media, analysts, and social media users.