Minister of Education Claims Unawareness of Partial Payments to Educators

The government spokesperson stated that part of the educators' arrears has been paid, but the Minister of Education expressed ignorance about this event, saying, "I am not aware." Fatemeh Mohajerani, spokesperson for the fourteenth government, announced on Sunday, October 1st, that the payment of part of the educators' arrears was carried out with the "follow-ups of the Minister of Education and coordination with the Organization of Planning and Budget." However, on the same day, when reporters asked Education Minister Alireza Kazemi about the payment of educators' arrears, he said, "I am the representative of teachers, and I am doing my utmost to address the concerns of my educational colleagues, and whenever results are achieved, the teachers themselves will notice; there is no need for an announcement. If someone has announced, naturally ask them; I am not aware." He also mentioned that they requested "colleagues" not to speak about what is being paid to educational colleagues. It seems his reference was to the government spokesperson. The Ministry of Education owes educators "44 trillion tomans." About ten days ago, Ali Farhadi, spokesperson for the Ministry of Education, also expressed ignorance about the status of payments and bonuses for teachers, stating that as soon as the Organization of Planning and Budget provides the funds, bonuses will be deposited into the accounts of retirees and promised that efforts would be made to ensure that this payment is made in full and not in installments. The Ministry of Education in Iran, with millions of active and retired salary recipients, is considered the largest government ministry in terms of salary payments. However, teachers across the country have protested in recent years over the lack of attention to their livelihood issues and other demands, and reports have also emerged regarding the non-payment of salaries related to the "ranking" of teachers. In Ordibehesht 1403, the Research Center of the Parliament announced that the Ministry of Education's debt in paying educators' claims is "approximately 44 trillion tomans." According to this report, the "table of unpaid arrears" and "accumulated debts" of this ministry in the year 1402 indicate that the amount of debt owed by the Ministry of Education to the country's educators is "equivalent to 16 percent of this ministry's budget for the current year." The unaccountability of officials has led to ongoing protests by teachers, especially on May 12 each year, which is designated as Teachers' Day in the Islamic Republic's calendar. During these protests, educators and teachers have frequently been detained by security forces. The Ministry of Education in Iran faces many challenges, including school dropouts, declining educational quality, and a shortage of skilled personnel.