The New Academic Year Approaches with a Shortage of 80,000 Teachers

The head of the Education Commission and Research of the Islamic Consultative Assembly has reported a shortage of 70,000 to 80,000 teachers for the new academic year, stating that the retirement of a large number of teachers will create 'huge gaps' in the country's education system. Alireza Monadi Sefidan emphasized the necessity of sending a letter to the new government leader to find solutions to the current situation, suggesting that increasing the payment for teaching hours could motivate current teachers. He mentioned that there are about 24,000 service-purchased teachers who need to be converted to permanent status. While Monadi has indicated a teacher shortage of 70,000 to 80,000 in Iran, Iranian media have reported this shortage to be as high as 176,000 teachers. The Tasnim news agency, affiliated with security institutions in the Islamic Republic, has also addressed this issue, stating that the education system is facing a shortage of 176,000 teachers as it approaches the new school year, and that the proposals made by the parliament to resolve this crisis are not feasible, with the new government lacking the opportunity for fundamental action. According to Tasnim, classrooms without teachers and those with untrained teachers lacking basic knowledge and skills have become significant issues in regular public schools in recent years and are among the reasons for their declining quality. In response to Monadi's letter to the new government, Tasnim remarked that 'the very late letter from the Education Commission, assuming effectiveness, is not a remedy after death.' The news agency criticized linking the teacher shortage to retirements, attributing any deficiencies in this area to managerial shortcomings. Reports indicate that the head of the Research Center of the Islamic Consultative Assembly also mentioned on July 1 that the government owes over 70 trillion tomans to educators and stated that there will be a shortage of 176,000 teachers in the new academic year. Babak Negahdari emphasized that it is expected that around 72,000 teachers will retire by September 2024, making it even harder for the Ministry of Education to secure human resources. Negahdari attributed the crisis in human resources in the Ministry of Education to neglecting the development of the capacities of the Teacher Training University, the weakening and dissolution of teacher training centers, and the set of laws determining the employment status of teachers from 2009 to 2021. The statements of parliament representatives and media reactions indicate that in the education system overseen by the Islamic Republic, planning has no place, and the lack of an educational and scientific development vision has led to current problems and challenges in education. One of these challenges is the teacher shortage in schools, which was at its highest historical level last academic year. In this context, on November 9, 2023, Mohammad Wahidi, a member of the Education Commission of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, reported that 68,000 teachers had exited the Iranian education system at the beginning of the academic year and that there were 100,000 classrooms without teachers. Now, ten months after the peak of the crisis last academic year and the promises made by the Minister of Education, not only have the problems not been resolved, but with the retirement of nearly 72,000 teachers, the challenge of securing human resources in education will be even greater than before. This is while current employed and service-purchased teachers are also facing wage arrears and repression of their legal demands. The teacher shortage and the promises of Islamic Republic officials to 'provide teachers' for classrooms without teachers have reached the highest historical level, and it seems that even if human resources are recruited, the number of applicants will not meet the required amount. This lack of willingness to work in the education system, apart from economic issues and delays in salary payments, stems from the repression of educators' demands, who have repeatedly protested for their professional and livelihood demands in recent years and criticized the prevailing policies in education in the country. According to this report, government pressures on teacher union activists have intensified in recent years, especially after the nationwide protests of 2022, with some being arrested or facing penalties such as forced retirement, dismissal, suspension, and confiscation of property. The retirement of 72,000 teachers and the shortage of 176,000 teachers in the new academic year continue to put pressure on teachers; dismissals due to an Instagram post; the teachers' union describes the presidency of Ebrahim Raisi as one of the 'darkest' periods in the sky of education; after the recruitment exam, jihadist activity and membership in the Basij are conditions for 'selection' for hiring teachers; the government is shirking its responsibility by making the ranking of teachers 'content-free'; two months after the start of the academic year, 'classrooms without teachers' have been confirmed despite the minister's denial; the recruitment of 20,000 'caretakers' for schools; the conversion of service-purchased teachers; perhaps another time; a newspaper's exposé shows the coercion of 'student teachers' to teach for an hourly wage of 18,000 tomans; a new crisis in education; several thousand teachers have not received their salaries since September; the Minister of Education's response to criticisms: 'We have no classrooms without teachers'; a member of the Education Commission: 68,000 teachers have exited the education system; the Ministry of Education claims that 25,000 new teachers have entered since the beginning of November.