Following criticism from a Shia cleric regarding the elimination of homework, two members of Parliament attributed the resistance to the "several tens of thousands of billion tomans" income of some educational book preparation institutions. Fatemeh Saidi, a member of the Education Commission, wrote on Twitter on Saturday, December 24, that with the elimination of homework, "the several tens of billion tomans business of some institutions and the state media will be destroyed." She emphasized that the Ministry of Education should not "succumb to pressures." Meanwhile, Mohammad Mohammadi Zahedi, another member of the Education Commission, stated that the reason for the "resistances" against the elimination of homework is the "several tens of thousands of billion tomans income of the exam and educational book mafia." He added: "The educational book and exam mafia are trying to exploit the issue of homework by politicizing and media-focusing on it." Rezvan Hakimzadeh, the Deputy Minister of Education, had announced in September that for the new school year, homework would be eliminated for first to third-grade students, and "skill-based assignments" would replace it. However, Ayatollah Jafar Subhani, a Shia cleric in Qom, had described the elimination of homework for students as "a mistake and contrary to the tradition of the Quran and the scholars' conduct." He emphasized that "students should not be left alone after school; rather, their minds and thoughts should be engaged with assignments." These remarks came after a meeting between managers of several institutions that prepare and sell exam and educational books and some Shia clerics. Nevertheless, Abolfazl Jokar, the director of Gaj Publishing, stated in an interview with Sobhe No newspaper that the reason for this meeting was not the elimination of homework but issues such as receiving paper with government currency. Previously, Mohammad Bat'haei, the Minister of Education, had announced that the financial turnover of exam and educational book institutions was 15 thousand billion tomans, stating that this figure is unofficially estimated to be 40 thousand billion tomans. This amount is roughly equivalent to the Ministry of Education's budget for one year. Meanwhile, according to some websites, these institutions pay more than 300 billion tomans annually for their advertisements to the state media.
Members of Parliament: Revenue of Several Tens of Thousands of Billion Tomans is the Reason for Resistance Against the Elimination of Homework
Members of the Iranian Parliament have linked the resistance to the elimination of homework to the substantial profits of educational institutions. This issue has sparked a debate between government officials and religious authorities about the educational system's direction. The financial interests at stake highlight the tension between educational reform and entrenched economic interests.
👥 Key Players
📰 What Happened
Members of the Iranian Parliament have linked the resistance to eliminating homework for young students to the significant profits of educational institutions. This has sparked a debate between government officials and religious authorities regarding the direction of the educational system.
- The financial turnover of educational book institutions is estimated between 15 to 40 thousand billion tomans.
- The elimination of homework is intended to replace traditional assignments with skill-based tasks.
💡 Why It Matters
📚 Background
Iran's education system is undergoing scrutiny as it attempts to modernize, facing pushback from traditionalists and those with vested financial interests.
🏷️ Entities Mentioned
Translated from the original and edited for English readers. View original source →
Translation confidence: 85%