No Entry for the Sick! Not Even You, Dear Edison

Thomas Edison, Leonardo da Vinci, Albert Einstein... These individuals, in addition to being some of the most famous scientific geniuses, share another commonality: According to the new guidelines from the Ministry of Education for hiring teachers, none of them would be allowed to teach in Iranian schools. This is because each of them has suffered from some kind of illness or condition that could prevent their employment in Iranian schools. Does teaching require special conditions that should be considered alongside the teacher's level of knowledge, or is the main criterion the individual's academic degree, with other conditions being subordinate to that as much as possible? Smoking, using hookah and alcohol, certain illnesses and disabilities such as infertility in women, short stature, having fewer than twenty teeth, malignant tumors of any type and in any organ, even if treated, blindness in one eye, skin and hair diseases including cutaneous leishmaniasis, extensive chronic eczema, deep and chronic fungal infections, untreatable fungal alopecia, excessive hair for women, spinal defects whether congenital or acquired, nocturnal enuresis, asthma, bronchitis, kidney stones, and having a thick accent are among the conditions that, according to this guideline, prevent candidates from being hired in education. Although Esfandiar Chehrband, head of the Human Resources Planning and Information Technology Center of the Ministry of Education, told the Etemad newspaper that this guideline had been drafted two years ago and was reviewed in general during the recent reforms regarding hiring conditions, the nature of the changes made is unclear. This Friday on the Sixth Hour program, we will hear from teachers, the disabled, supporters, and opponents of this plan, as well as from Saeed Piyvandi, a sociologist and education specialist on this matter.