Second Day of Teachers' Protest Sit-in in Several Provinces of Iran

The second day of teachers' protest sit-in was held in several provinces of Iran on Monday. The sit-in is taking place in school offices following a call from the Coordination Council of Iranian Teachers' Trade Associations. This council has called for a three-day sit-in by teachers from Sunday to Tuesday. The second day of the teachers' sit-in occurred while the Coordination Council announced that teachers' participation in this round of protests was 'greater than the sit-in in November.' So far, three rounds of sit-ins have been held in school offices in Iran, two of which took place in October and November, after which reports emerged regarding security and judicial actions against several teachers in various cities. Nevertheless, security and judicial officials of the Islamic Republic have not reacted to this matter. The Coordination Council reported that news indicated 'the formation of sit-ins in all provinces of Iran.' It announced sit-ins in 'over 100 cities and dozens of villages,' adding that teachers protested in 'over a thousand educational units.' The council described the sit-ins in Saqqez, Kermanshah, Yazd, Karaj, Hamadan, Isfahan, Khomeini Shahr, Shiraz, Marivan, Qazvin, Takestan, and Sanandaj as 'magnificent.' According to this report, the sit-ins in Mazandaran, East Azerbaijan, West Azerbaijan, and Ardabil were 'better than the second round of the sit-in in November,' but it was noted that the first day of the sit-in in 'Tehran and Gilan was not magnificent.' The Coordination Council appreciated the 'different approach from the past' of security and law enforcement forces on the first day of the sit-in, calling it a 'positive and wise change in their approach.' The teachers' demands in this third round of sit-ins include 'the freedom of cultural trade activists and the removal of all legal barriers for the official and free activities of teachers' trade associations.' In recent years, many security and judicial actions have been taken against teachers' trade activists and associations in Iran. Several activists have been arrested and sentenced to prison, including Ismail Abdi, Mahmoud Beheshti Langroudi, Mohammad Habibi, Abdolreza Ghanbari, and Rouhollah Mardani. Notably, Mr. Habibi has also been sentenced to receive lashes. The actions against teachers' trade activists have drawn criticism from human rights organizations and labor unions worldwide. The Coordination Council mentioned other demands in its statement on March 6, such as 'allocating a sufficient share in the 1998 budget to education, addressing school problems, and fundamentally repairing teachers' salaries.' Other demands raised by the Coordination Council include 'paying all teachers' back wages, equalizing the salaries of retired teachers with active teachers and raising them above the poverty line, establishing effective insurance for active and retired teachers, stopping the monetization of schools, and implementing Article 30 of the Constitution.' Article 30 of the Constitution states, 'The government is obliged to provide free educational facilities for all people until the end of secondary education.' Meanwhile, the teachers' sit-in in some provinces of Iran has not received widespread coverage in official Iranian media, and officials of the Islamic Republic have not reacted to this matter.