The Challenge of 'Paper Correction' in Iran's Educational System; Threatening Text Messages Sent to Protesting Teachers

Despite the 'Center for Evaluation and Quality Assurance of the Education System' announcing that '90 percent' of the answer sheets from the participants in the final exam of this June have been 'corrected', some teachers involved in the correction process believe that 'correcting all sheets may take more than two weeks.' According to the 'Khabar Online' website, Farakh Tabari, head of the Examination Department at the Center for Evaluation and Quality Assurance of the Islamic Republic's Education System, had predicted that by 'July 1', all schools in the country would be able to announce the 'preliminary' results of the final exams. On the other hand, for the first time this year, instead of paper exams, 'electronic versions' were provided to the correctors, which may have made the process of preparing the electronic version time-consuming; however, some teachers say that due to 'issues and problems' that have arisen in recent years, teachers 'were not very satisfied to step into the correction areas of the exam sheets.' In recent years, students have faced many educational challenges, including two years of 'remote' education due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the overlap of classes with protests in 2022 in various cities of Iran, and the chain poisonings in schools in the last months of last year and the early weeks of this year. Mohammad Reza Niknejad, an education expert, states that correcting exam sheets is 'a hard job'; however, at certain times, correcting sheets was 'worth it' for teachers because they received a suitable and timely payment for this work, but in recent years, the payments to teachers for correcting exam sheets have been both 'small amounts' and delayed, which is why 'teachers are dissatisfied.' Nasrin Mohammad Bagheri, a math teacher, also mentions that in any department, if someone has overtime, their salary is paid at the end of the month, but in education, 'the correction fee for exam sheets' is paid a year later, and that too with a very small amount. She announced that this year teachers 'took a stand to at least not do' the work (of correcting exam sheets) 'for once' and 'to resist as much as possible.' She stated that school administrators started sending 'threatening messages' from the very beginning, such as the head of the department saying that if the teachers who had 12th-grade students did not go to correct the exam sheets, 'their notification for next year would face problems.' Educational experts predict that this year the correction of sheets will face significant delays, and given that only a few sheets have been corrected, if this trend continues, the process will take 'two to three weeks.' In recent months, teachers have repeatedly protested for professional and livelihood reasons, including the incomplete and controversial implementation of the job ranking plan, holding gatherings, during which some were arrested by the security agencies of the Islamic Republic. Saeed Peyvandi: The educational system in Iran is one of the most ideological educational systems in the world. Efforts to 'Islamize the economy'; formation of working groups in various fields, following cooperation between the seminary and the Ministry of Economy. Continued security and judicial confrontations with teachers; the status of detainees is unclear. Beginning of curriculum changes at the request of Ali Khamenei: participation of 7,000 people for the reform of the content of 1,500 curricula. A member of the teachers' union: 60 to 70 percent of teachers in Iran have been misranked. Following several rounds of street gatherings; the government announced the beginning of 'addressing the protests' regarding the ranking of teachers. Reaffirmation by 'Education' for the new year; promoting the culture of sacrifice and martyrdom in schools.