Reactions to the Appointment of Jamileh Alamolhoda as a Member of the National Assessment Organization's Board of Trustees

Jamileh Alamolhoda, the wife of Ebrahim Raisi, has been appointed by Mohammad Mokhber as a member of the Board of Trustees of the National Assessment Organization. This appointment has sparked concerning reactions from students and pupils due to its lack of specialization. According to Ham-Mihan newspaper, in a recent move, 'Reza Morad Sahraei', the Minister of Education of Ebrahim Raisi's government, and 'Jamileh Alamolhoda' have been appointed by Mohammad Mokhber as 'specialists and experts in the field of assessment and educational evaluation' for a four-year term on the Board of Trustees of the National Assessment Organization. The newspaper criticized these appointments as 'illegal' and 'hasty appointments' by Mohammad Mokhber in the final days of his tenure as Ebrahim Raisi's deputy and head of the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution. The report states that 'the resolution of the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution for the membership of Jamileh Alamolhoda and the current Minister of Education, who has only a few days left in office, in the Board of Trustees of the National Assessment Organization is contrary to the independence of the National Assessment Organization.' On October 2, 2023, Ebrahim Raisi, as the head of the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution, issued a resolution titled 'Formation of the National Assessment and Evaluation Organization of the Education System' for implementation. This organization was intended to be established as an independent entity 'under the supervision of the President.' According to this resolution, the National Assessment and Evaluation Organization of the Education System is to be established as an independent organization under the supervision of the President, aimed at establishing a comprehensive system for monitoring, oversight, evaluation, accreditation, ranking, and quality assurance in the education system. Following the publication of this news, public opinion and media became sensitive to the nature and performance of this new organization as well as the responsibilities of the National Assessment Organization. One reason for this sensitivity was the organization's removal from the Ministry of Science's jurisdiction and its oversight by the head of government. Critics pointed out that this change would restrict the Parliament's ability to oversee it as one of the subordinates of the Ministry of Science. An academic official expressed hope for the cancellation of these 'illegal appointments,' considering the changes in the structures of the assessment organization to be thought-provoking and emphasized that 'under these conditions, this organization could become a secluded space where any corruption and lack of transparency could be observed.' He added that the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution is 'a closed circle' that 'determines and judges itself' and warned that 'this issue eliminates the possibility of public redress from the council's resolutions in the Administrative Justice Court, and the Parliament cannot oversee this organization.' Previously, Jamileh Alamolhoda, the wife of Ebrahim Raisi, in an interview with ABC News in October 2023, responded to the host's question about the killing of 500 protesters during nationwide protests by saying, 'Many were killed, but in defense of the Islamic Republic of Iran.' Earlier, Jamileh Alamolhoda, in an interview with RT, referred to the incident of the death of Mahsa Amini in custody and the months-long nationwide protests that followed as a 'controversy,' attributing this protest movement to foreign influences. The wife of Ebrahim Raisi claimed that all the 'controversy' surrounding 'the case of the late Mahsa Amini' in the country was nothing but 'intimidation and fear-mongering' by the United States. She also described international reactions to the death in custody of Mahsa Amini and the crackdown on protesters as 'a new version of the so-called intimidation policy' against the Islamic Republic.