Teachers' Union: The Wrong Plan of Ghettoization for Afghan Children Should Be Canceled

The Coordinating Council of Teachers' Unions in Iran issued a statement calling the prevention of the reopening of an elementary school for Afghan children in Yazd a "ghettoization" and urged the Ministry of Education to stand firmly against "xenophobic" behaviors without "tolerance." This statement was released a few days after reports and images emerged of the closure of a school in Shahidiyeh, Yazd, designated for Afghan children. Local media reported that this elementary school, named "Jihad Khas," was unable to start its activities on the first day of the school year due to protests and gatherings from local residents. Abdolhamid Saberi, the head of the Education Department in Yazd's first district, stated in an interview with Ensaf News that the reason for the neighbors' protests was the "gathering of Afghan children," adding that neighbors complained, "You brought these {Afghan children} close to our homes, and Afghan migrants from other neighborhoods are also coming here, increasing their gatherings." He further mentioned that "the number of students was high, and their parents were also following them, which led to more gatherings. The local residents protested for this reason." This official also reported that the "Jihad Khas" school began its activities on the second day of the school year after follow-ups. The head of the Yazd Education Department introduced this school as one of the institutions established under the "school polarization" plan in Yazd province. According to this official, "A few years ago, it was approved through the Education Department that foreign students would study collectively in the province's schools. For example, if three schools are next to each other, one school would be designated for foreign students, while the other two would be for Iranian students." Defending this plan, he stated, "It was a very good plan; culturally, there were no issues, and no one complained about cleanliness, and thankfully we had no problems until this recent incident." While this official defended the plan, the Coordinating Council of Teachers' Unions in Iran demanded in its statement that the Ministry of Education quickly cancel the "wrong ghettoization plan for Afghan children." The statement also urged the Ministry of Education officials not to allow the rights of vulnerable Afghan migrant and refugee children to be sacrificed to the incorrect biases and uncivil behaviors of some unaware compatriots. The statement explicitly stated that "the racist policy of segregating schools based on ethnic division under the guise of cultural differences is an absolutely indefensible and shameful policy." It added that "decisions regarding the right to education for migrant children and the fundamental principle of their integration into public schools cannot be left to the interests and incorrect beliefs of xenophobic officials and some unaware and irresponsible citizens." According to Mohammad Hassan Radmanesh, the deputy of primary education in the Yazd Education Department, there are 32 special schools for foreign nationals in this province. Mr. Radmanesh added that "7% of the students in Yazd province are foreign nationals, the majority of whom are Afghan." He reported that the number of foreign students in the new academic year is 15,000, with 13,000 of them studying at the elementary level. On September 14, Mohammad Bat'haei announced that 370,000 Afghan and foreign students had registered for school for the new academic year. This registration followed calls from a group of children's rights and minority rights activists for the enrollment of Afghan children residing in Iran in schools ahead of the new academic year. Hundreds of thousands of Afghan children, despite having lived in Iran for years, have not had the opportunity to study in the country's schools. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, ordered in 2015 that no Afghan child, even those living illegally and without identification documents in Iran, should be deprived of education, and all should be registered in Iranian schools. The Iranian Ministry of Interior also announced three months after the start of this plan that Afghan students aged 7 to 18 without legal residency documents were given the opportunity to apply for an educational introduction letter that would allow them to register in Iranian schools. Some Afghan children managed to enroll in school, but many still remain out of education.