Student Sit-in at Three Oil Industry Colleges in Iran

A group of students from Iran's Oil Industry University has been on sit-in for the fourth day in protest against the university's management, demanding the collective resignation of the university's board members due to issues related to 'employment' and 'professional privileges.' According to the Student News Agency affiliated with the Basij Student Organization, on Wednesday, December 1, the protesting students expressed their dissatisfaction with the 'inability of the university's board to maintain important privileges' of the Oil Industry University. The news agency reported that the protesters are also upset about the 'lack of appropriate measures [by the university board] in response to the Ministry of Oil's neglect of their specialized university.' The Mehr News Agency has also reported that this protest and sit-in began on November 27 in response to the 'failure to recruit' personnel by the Ministry of Oil. The news agency noted that the protesting students have refrained from attending their classes and are protesting against the 'breach of promise by the Ministry of Oil regarding the recruitment of graduates from this university.' In recent months, students and graduates of the Oil Industry University have held protests in front of the Ministry of Oil and the Parliament to achieve their demands, which have so far been fruitless. The Iranian Student Newsletter reported that the protesters have been complaining for over two years about the Ministry of Oil's failure to fulfill promises regarding the employment of graduates from this university, which has led them to initiate the sit-in. According to this student website, the protesters are 'not satisfied with anything other than the dismissal of the university president,' with the main reasons for this demand being 'employment issues' and 'professional problems' faced by the students of this university. The Oil Industry University, affiliated with the Ministry of Oil, began its activities in 1939 under the name of Abadan Technical School, and its branches include Ahvaz Oil School, Abadan Oil School, and Tehran Oil School. The Young Journalists Club reported that on November 25, students from the Oil Industry University also held a sit-in by canceling their classes and announced that they would continue their sit-in until they receive a written response from government officials regarding their 'employment status.' On November 27, the Tasnim news agency reported on the sit-in of a group of students from the Oil Industry College in Ahvaz and Abadan, stating that the students are protesting against the 'deterioration of the Oil University’s status by the Ministry of Oil in recent years.' According to this news agency, based on documents included in previous national entrance exam brochures, the Ministry of Oil had committed to employing students from the Oil Industry University within this ministry. Tasnim also reported that Bijan Namdar Zangeneh, the Minister of Oil, declared in 2015 that the recruitment of these students in the Ministry of Oil was 'prohibited.' In January 2016, students from oil colleges in Khuzestan province protested against the removal of priority employment in the oil industry by staging a sit-in and hunger strike. Meanwhile, oil colleges have always been one of the main suppliers of human resources for Iran's oil industry.