The 'New Teachers' Campaign Claims Hundreds of Women Rejected from Selection Due to 'Non-Hijab' Profile Pictures; 'Education Ministry' Denies

On Monday, September 12, the public relations office of the 'Central Selection Board of the Ministry of Education' responded to a protest campaign signed by approximately 9,000 'new teachers' who were disqualified from the education selection process due to not adhering to mandatory hijab, posting profile pictures, and similar issues. They stated, 'A profile picture alone does not disqualify an individual.' This claim comes despite the 'new teachers' campaign listing reasons for the rejection or dismissal of female teachers as 'wearing nail polish, having artificial nails and eyelashes, wearing a short coat under the chador, cosmetic surgery, having a profile picture with non-Islamic hijab and showing a bit of hair, and makeup.' Other reasons for the rejection of teaching job applicants mentioned in this statement include 'minimal participation in congregational and Friday prayers, having missed prayers and fasting, liking or following foreign actors and political figures on social media, posting critical stories within the legal framework, and biased reports.' According to the state news agency ISNA, the public relations office of the education selection board responded to the protests of these new teachers by saying, 'For disqualified individuals, there are multiple capacities in the law, such as requesting a review of the case in three stages of appeal,' and claimed that 'the margin of error and the possibility of infringing on the rights of applicants are reduced by this process.' However, according to the new teachers' campaign statement, 'No warnings or notices have been given to students, and immediately after graduation or during it, suspension or dismissal orders have been issued.' The statement adds, 'In the event of the complete dismissal of new teachers, a fine of 600 million tomans and the loss of 16 years of efforts await them. This issue also includes those who took the university entrance exam and those under Article 28.' Previously, according to state media reports, Seyed Amir Mohammad Khrazani, 'Secretary of the Central Selection Board of the Ministry of Education,' denied a viral message on social media regarding 'opposition to permanent employment due to profile pictures,' stating, 'I reject the claim that the employment status of student teachers is not confirmed due to profile pictures; the entire case of the individual must be reviewed, and it is not true that a student is rejected solely due to a profile picture.' This came after a teacher who was disqualified due to a profile picture posted a document on X, stating, 'I am that student teacher who eagerly painted for the children, now because of just a profile picture, all my four years of effort are disregarded without even a single warning, and I have to pay a fine of 600 million tomans.' In this message, she requested help from the public, adding, 'This is not just my problem; 8,000 others are exactly like me.' Previously, the 'Islahat News' website, which republished this message, reported that many audience members had contacted the public relations office of this media outlet, stating, 'This incident has not only happened to that one teacher; thousands have similar experiences.'