Teacher's Day in Iran; Teachers and Concerns of Building Amid Inflation, Burning in Discrimination

Iran is approaching Teacher's Day while teachers have faced various challenges in recent years, from delays in receiving salaries to anxiety over potential unemployment for various reasons. Despite the Islamic Republic's constant propaganda that 'teaching is a noble profession,' teachers have always been embroiled in various problems and carry many concerns home every night. One of the current concerns for teachers is the employment test for contract teachers and the 'fear of failing' it and facing unemployment. A teacher from Kerman stated to the ILNA news agency that the base salary of contract teachers is much lower than others, and delays in salary payments are a constant challenge for teachers. This teacher also expressed a 'fear of becoming unemployed,' stating that after a lifetime of teaching, they are no longer at an age to seek new jobs. Meanwhile, according to ILNA, 'Sadegh Setari-Fard,' the Deputy for Planning and Resource Development of the Ministry of Education, announced that cooperation with contract workers, service purchases, and teaching rights would be terminated if they fail the employment test. Livelihood is another concern for teachers, and a teacher from Khorramabad in Lorestan mentioned in an interview with ILNA that this issue significantly affects individuals' productivity, stating that 'our focus and mental health in the classroom are of utmost importance and sensitivity.' Analyzing household budget data from the Statistical Center confirms teachers' concerns, as this data shows a shrinking of people's livelihoods in recent years. Accordingly, the total monthly food consumption of an Iranian averaged 48 kilograms in 2006 but dropped to 36 kilograms in 2021. In other words, over the past fifteen years, the Iranian table has shrunk by 24%. Studies show that the consumption of food items in Iran has decreased by an average of 50% after the elimination of preferential currency. Livelihood issues, delays in salary payments, and dissatisfaction with the implementation of the 'ranking law' have become the focal point of teachers' protests since the beginning of the year, leading to teachers taking to the streets in various provinces on the eighth day of the Nowruz holidays, with simultaneous protests held in eight cities. The Coordination Council of Iranian Teachers' Associations announced on Tuesday, April 8, that simultaneous protests by teachers occurred in at least the provinces of East Azerbaijan, Ardabil, Zanjan, Hamadan, Kurdistan, and North Khorasan. Reports indicate that the ranking of teachers has not been implemented correctly, leading to dissatisfaction among teachers. In addition to the delayed implementation of the ranking law, teachers' back pay has also been delayed, and the rankings have, in some cases, been disproportionate to teachers' experience and education, with some union activists and protesting teachers being penalized by being assigned the lowest rank. The ambiguity of new contracts is another concern among teachers, with ILNA quoting a teacher stating, 'We don't even know what this contract we are signing includes, and we sign it unconditionally to avoid losing our jobs.' This teacher from Lorestan also pointed out the discrimination that exists between official and contract employees, stating, 'Colleagues who are official or contractual and have much less work experience earn more than I do with 15 years of experience, nearly double our salary, and these inconsistencies in paying teachers' claims lead to dissatisfaction, while we do the same work, meaning we are in class for specific hours, teaching similar textbooks, and even our education is the same, and we are even colleagues in the same school.' Additionally, a group of educators in Iran simultaneously protested in several cities on the first day of school in 2023 against the implementation of the ranking law, which they referred to as 'fake ranking' and 'sham ranking.' The Coordination Council of Teachers' Unions of Iran stated that these protests took place on Tuesday, April 14, in at least the provinces of Hamadan, West Azerbaijan, Bushehr, Fars, and Razavi Khorasan. These protests were attributed not only to livelihood conditions but also to the 'ineffectiveness of the ranking system.' As teachers' protests escalated, the spokesperson for the Teachers' Union was violently arrested again, and protests were held in various cities in Iran despite the presence of security forces. The poverty line reached 21 million tomans, while members of parliament increased their own salaries. A statement from 15 union organizations declared that the 'revolutionary movement of the Iranian people' remains 'alive and dynamic.' A statement from three imprisoned teachers stated, 'Warnings, discrimination, and imprisonment do not prevent demands.' A new wave of arrests of educators and union activists occurred ahead of 'Teacher's Day' in Iran, and a legal case was opened against the Secretary-General of the Teachers' Organization. The Teachers' Union of Gilan condemned the imprisonment of three of its members, and a member of the Teachers' Union stated that 60 to 70 percent of teachers in Iran have been assigned incorrect ranks. Mohammad Habibi, the spokesperson for the Teachers' Union, was arrested again.