Naghdi: Teachers' Problems Should Not Be Raised in Society

The head of the Basij Organization for the Oppressed criticized those who, according to him, have reduced teachers' problems to mere material issues, stating that these problems "should not be raised in society" and that their resolution has "its own way and method." According to ISNA news agency, Mohammad Reza Naghdi emphasized on Sunday, May 1, in a gathering of several teachers, that some "for political purposes" and "with the aim of weakening education, the system, and the country, have diminished teachers' issues to the level of material concerns and are trying to engage teachers' minds with them." He added: "Teachers' issues are by no means entangled with petty material constraints, and resolving these problems has its own way and should not be raised in society." Naghdi's remarks come at a time when in recent years, teachers' protests have been held with professional demands, and several teachers have been arrested due to their union activities. Meanwhile, Rasoul Badaghi, a member of the Iranian Teachers' Trade Association, was released from Rajai Shahr Prison in Karaj on Thursday night after seven years. However, several teacher rights activists, such as Ismail Abdi, Mahmoud Beheshti Langroudi, and Alireza Hashemi, remain imprisoned, and Ali Akbar Baghaei is in exile. On the same day as May 1, Teacher's Day, the Teachers' Trade Association issued a statement calling for the release of these teachers and reported that last year, teachers across the country faced "thousands of hours of interrogation and summons" due to holding a silent gathering in support of imprisoned colleagues and raising their demands. According to the Teacher and Worker Rights website, the authors of this statement also announced that teachers' salaries are "much lower" than many other government employees who have similar employment conditions. This organization has demanded the establishment of "effective, efficient, and continuous health insurance with reasonable premiums" for active and retired education staff. The implementation of the "School Management Law" is another demand raised in this statement. According to the authors of this statement, the implementation of this law began during Mohammad Khatami's presidency but was halted during Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's administration despite "teachers' reception." The participation of teachers in "decision-making and policymaking in education" is another demand raised in this statement.