Pezeshkian: The Police Do Not Guide Youth, They Destroy Them

Masoud Pezeshkian stated in a speech that if the police are asked to 'guide' the youth, they do not guide but rather 'destroy.' The President of Iran said on Wednesday, September 7, during the introduction ceremony of the new Minister of Education: 'When we see some external behaviors of youth and girls and ask the police to come and guide them, they do not guide, they destroy; it is the school that guides.' Mr. Pezeshkian did not specify which behaviors of Iranian youth he believed needed guidance. His reference to guiding youth in education and the interaction of the police and judicial agents with youth comes in the context of the violent crackdown on some students protesting mandatory hijab, which even led to the deaths of some, such as Nika Shakeri. There have also been numerous reports of security forces attacking several schools, resulting in injuries to students and the arrest of teachers and suspension of educators. Since the winter of 2022, there have been multiple reports of suspicious gas poisonings in schools across various cities, continuing until the spring of 2023. However, officials of the Islamic Republic have tried to deny this and have never identified the cause of these incidents. In his speech on Wednesday, the President also criticized the disorganization and 'gap between classes, ethnicities, individuals, and provinces,' calling it a reason for 'dissatisfaction.' He emphasized that 'what a person feels and experiences is felt regardless of how much they say it is not so. I feel I see injustice.' Mr. Pezeshkian also criticized the disparity in educational 'standards' between counties and Tehran, stating: 'Education is teamwork and education is about justice, and that the education of a child in Sistan and Baluchestan should be the same as that of a child in Tehran and in multi-million student schools. Is this the case? Is this the educational system we have created that is justice-oriented?' Meanwhile, Alireza Kazemi, the Minister of Education in Pezeshkian's government, announced his 'work priorities' in another ceremony as 'establishing the culture of prayer and sacrifice in the education system,' adding: 'I believe the education system passes through this path.' He further promised: 'Wherever I can address the concerns of teachers and administrators and set the right path in the curriculum to ensure cultural and Quranic values prevail in the education system.'