Shortage of 300,000 Teachers in Iran; Ministry of Education: We Will Hire 27,000 Teachers

News sources in Iran report that the shortage of 300,000 teachers in the country has created a "serious crisis" in schools, and the Ministry of Education's promise to hire 27,000 teachers is deemed insufficient. Recently, Reza Morad Sahraei, the caretaker of the Ministry of Education, expressed concern about the lack of teachers without providing any statistics, adding that "about 27,000 will be added to the teaching staff through a recruitment exam." Morad Sahraei also stated that educational activities are a top priority and emphasized the need for 50,000 educational instructors, noting that 11,000 will be hired in this area this year. Meanwhile, Hamid Reza Hajibabaei, head of the Cultural Faction in the Islamic Consultative Assembly, reported last December a shortage of 300,000 teachers in various fields, including sports, educational affairs, and laboratories. According to the daily Ham-Mihan, most classrooms exceed the standard capacity for students, and if class sizes are reduced, the teacher shortage will be greater than the reported figure. The daily also noted a contradiction between Morad Sahraei's concern about the teacher shortage and the Ministry of Education's efforts to hire clergy under the "Amin" plan, which has been in place for about six years, requiring clergy to engage in religious propaganda for about 30 hours a week in schools. Concurrently, the retirement of hundreds of thousands of teachers has exacerbated this crisis. Last year, at least 250,000 teachers retired, and the Ministry of Education has resorted to unprecedented hiring of student teachers to replace them. Mohammad Taghi Fallahi, the secretary of the Teachers' Trade Union in Tehran, stated in an interview with Ham-Mihan that hiring student teachers is financially beneficial for the Ministry of Education and represents the government's evasion of its responsibility to provide free and quality education. Meanwhile, protesting teachers and cultural activists have consistently raised the provision of free education as one of their main demands. The teacher shortage crisis in Iran comes amid repeated protests by teachers in recent years, emphasizing their professional and livelihood demands. These protests have always faced violent suppression by government agents, leading to the arrest and imprisonment of several protesting teachers. Security crackdowns on educators continue; four teachers have been arrested, and 11 others have been summoned. Teachers' demands remain unanswered; the arrest of trade union activists continues. Hunger strikes continue in protest against illegal arrests and the harsh conditions of prisons; two detained teachers are on hunger strike. Some teachers have been deprived of ranking due to their participation in protests. Teacher's Day in Iran; teachers face challenges of inflation and discrimination.