Response of Educational Officials in Urmia to the Release of Images of a Student's 'Assault'; 'We Will Take Action'

Following the release of images showing the effects of assault on a student's face in Urmia, the General Directorate of Education in West Azerbaijan announced that it would take 'serious legal action' against those responsible for the incident. According to local sources, an image of a student from the Shahriar neighborhood of Urmia, who had been physically punished by a school official, was shared on social media yesterday, prompting widespread reactions. In a statement released by the Public Relations and Information Office of the Education Department of the province after the media coverage of the abuse, it was emphasized: 'Following this incident, the matter is being seriously investigated under the directive of the provincial education director, and the offender or offenders will face legal consequences.' The statement also claims that physical punishment of students is a 'red line' for the education system, and no violations or shortcomings in this regard are acceptable. The West Azerbaijan Education Department announced that necessary actions to follow up on this incident are underway and expressed its serious determination to prevent such occurrences in the future. Statistical reports from civil organizations indicate that the number of students who face harassment is widespread, but the response from educational officials is only expressed in cases that gain media attention. A group of human rights activists in Iran announced on November 14 that at least 31 students have attempted suicide since the beginning of the current solar year, resulting in the deaths of 26 of them. The Coordination Council of Teachers' Trade Unions of Iran previously stated in a statement that the direct threats from school administrators regarding 'disciplinary and even judicial actions' by the General Directorate of Education in Kurdistan are aimed at 'silencing civil society' and 'narrow-mindedness and obstinacy against specialized civil institutions.' This teachers' council considers the current formal education system, with its destructive policies, to be 'the cause and generator of some harms or a factor in their severity' for students and emphasizes the necessity of 'utilizing the motivation and capacity of skilled civil society organizations.' While educational shortcomings and crises have intensified in recent years, Islamic Republic officials have focused on changing the content of textbooks. Changing textbook content and educational approaches in schools has been a concern of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic for years. Ali Khamenei has repeatedly called for a review of textbook content in recent years. In May 2022, during a meeting with a group of teachers and educators from across the country, he stated that 'useless content in textbooks must be removed.' He did not provide clarification on what he meant by 'useless content.' Iranian students ignored school administrators' requests to chant against the U.S. and Israel.