The Education Commission of the Parliament is examining the issue of student beatings. Mohammad Mahdi Zahedi, the head of the Education and Research Commission, stated on Saturday: "If misconduct is confirmed, teachers will be referred to judicial authorities for prosecution." In recent days, reports of physical punishment of students with whips and pipes in the provinces of Kerman, Sistan and Baluchestan, and Golestan have been published in the media. Education officials denied the use of whips but confirmed the beatings with pipes. Ultimately, the director of education in Sistan and Baluchestan resigned in respect for public opinion. Witness Shahid Alavi, a former member of the Iranian Teachers Association residing in the U.S., stated: "Violence in schools is an undeniable reality and a reflection of the truth of society." According to this former teacher in Iran, the officials of the Iranian educational system are trying to present a humane and modern image of the Iranian educational system. Alavi believes that Iran's education system has structural problems and some teachers are not suitable for teaching. He continued, even teachers who are suitable for education have so many livelihood concerns and feelings of job insecurity that they lack the psychological safety to perform their jobs correctly. Alavi stated that violence in schools is structural and officials are trying to deny it. Recently, reports emerged that a school principal in the village of Mokhtarabad in southern Kerman had whipped several students who could not pay a tuition fee of 30,000 tomans. Another report circulated about a fifth-grade student who was beaten and hospitalized in Sistan and Baluchestan. Additionally, there was news of five students being beaten in Golestan for arriving late to school. Mohammad Basteh Darazeh, a member of the Education and Research Commission, stated on Saturday that physical punishment of students occurs more frequently than reported in the media. This representative from Saravan noted that despite the repeated beatings of students, no committee in the Ministry of Education has specifically examined the issue. Physical punishment of students in Iranian schools is prohibited, yet reports of student beatings continue to surface. Hossein Reisi, a lawyer residing in Canada, stated: "Violence in schools is a public crime and is not forgivable." He referred to the law establishing education and mentioned that any form of child abuse, including punishment, physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, and even excessive homework, is prohibited. Reisi also pointed out provisions of the child protection law, stating that Article 5 of this law declares any form of child harassment a public crime, punishable by imprisonment and fines. Punishment and beatings in Iranian schools always accompany a wave of reality and rumor. These incidents are not the first punishments and will not be the last. Last December, the Iranian Minister of Education apologized for the physical punishment of several students in the city of Aligudarz in Lorestan province by their teacher, stating that the administrative violations office of the Ministry of Education had "severely" dealt with this teacher. However, the manner of the Ministry's response to the offending teacher was never made public.
The Beating of Students from the Experts' Perspective
The Iranian Parliament's Education Commission is investigating reports of student beatings in schools, with officials confirming some incidents while denying others. A former teacher highlighted systemic issues in the education system that contribute to violence, as public outrage led to the resignation of an education director. This situation reflects ongoing concerns about student safety and the treatment of children in Iran's educational institutions.
👥 Key Players
📰 What Happened
The Iranian Parliament's Education Commission is investigating reports of student beatings in schools, with some officials confirming incidents while denying others. This has led to public outrage and the resignation of an education director.
- Reports indicate that students have been beaten with pipes and whips in various provinces.
- Physical punishment is officially prohibited in Iranian schools, yet incidents continue to occur.
💡 Why It Matters
📚 Background
Physical punishment in Iranian schools is officially banned, yet reports of violence persist, indicating deeper issues within the educational framework and societal attitudes toward discipline.
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Translation confidence: 85%