Poverty, arrests and tight control by the regime: the reality for Iran's teachers

A wave of teacher-led protests has been sweeping Iran for weeks. According to NCRI (National Council of Resistance of Iran), demonstrations have been reported in 45 cities across the country. The employment outlook for teachers is critical. Many of the teachers live below the poverty line due to low salaries. On the other hand, they cannot develop their profession freely due to strict government control.

In this context, a teacher from Isfahan who, for security reasons, chooses not to give his name, analyses the current situation of his profession in Iran. A reality that also reflects the general dissatisfaction of the population with the regime in Tehran. 

What goals are the Iranian teachers aiming to achieve with the demonstrations? 

 The main goal we pursue is to improve our living conditions. With salaries most teachers now receive, they live below the poverty line, and many of us, especially those with families, are forced to find second and even third jobs. Consequently, they have to work 14 hours or more in order to provide for their families. 

They also want better educational facilities. Because many school buildings are non-standard and unsafe, and given that Iran is an earthquake-prone country, the building of the schools is a serious threat to the lives of students and teachers in the event of an earthquake. 

Our other demand is that we want to be able to speak freely and uncontrollably in our classrooms because we are now under the strict control of agents affiliated with the mullahs. 

Have the teachers so far achieved any of their goals with the protests? 

Recently, after continuous rallies and demonstrations, it has been decided that the classification plan for increasing teachers' salaries be reviewed and approved in the parliament, but to this day, it has only paid lip service to teachers. One reason for this heel-dragging is that the government is in a budget deficit of over 500,000 billion tomans. As a result, there is no way to raise salaries other than printing fiat money by the government. This will add to the inflation, which is now above 50%, and will actually offset the extra pay teachers may make as goods become more expensive and money depreciates in value. 

What is the current situation of teachers in Iran? 

As I mentioned in the answer to the first question, the living conditions of this stratum of society are far from world standards. Months of deprivation of salaries, discrimination, and injustice in adjusting their salaries, deprivation of bonuses and overtime dues, insurance, and treatment are among the issues that make life really difficult for us. As a result, our concern is focused on our livelihood and that of our families rather than the quality of children and adolescents’ education. 

As we see these days, there has not been a single week when some of these hardworking teachers did not hold rallies protesting against their very poor living conditions as well as the non-fulfillment of the promises given to them. In the last few months alone, three teachers, Hassan Chenarani, Gholam Abbas Yahyapour, and Amin Kianpour, have committed suicide due to extreme poverty. 

Amin Kianpour, a math teacher and the principal of Najafi High School in Isfahan, set himself on fire on June 27 this year in front of the Isfahan courthouse and died. 

On September 15, Gholam Abbas Yahyapour, a math teacher in the city of Gerash in Fars province, hanged himself due to financial hardship and died of brain death. 

Less than three days after the news of Gholam Abbas Yahyapour's suicide was published, the Iranian Teachers' Union channel reported the suicide of Hassan Chenarani, a teacher in Sarvelayat County of Neishabour, by taking aluminum phosphide pills, known as rice pills. 

I think these examples show the situation of teachers in Iran and do not need further explanation. 

What are the future prospects for the teachers' union under the new government headed by Ebrahim Raisi? 

In general, in Iran, unions have no power and are prosecuted if they act against the government. 

For example, in September of this year, Aziz Ghasemzadeh, a spokesman for the Guilan Teachers Union, was violently arrested in his home by the security agents and taken to an unknown location a day after he spoke at a protest rally of the working and retired teachers and educators. This is just one example. But there are many such arrests among protesting teachers. 

What charges have been brought against the detained teachers? 

In general, they are prosecuted under sham accusations such as plotting against the country’s security, insulting the Supreme Leader (Ali Khamenei), communicating with the Mujahedin Khalq Organization(MEK) abroad, creating and inciting unrest, spying for other countries, promoting corruption, etc., among which the most severe punishments are considered for those who are accused of having links with the MEK. 

In addition to teachers, are there other jobs targeted by the regime? 

Certainly. There are now almost continuous protests by workers, retirees, medical staff (nurses and doctors), and, in short, all social classes, with the exception of security forces, decrying the very poor living conditions. Even farmers, who are under double pressure, regularly hold protest rallies in front of government buildings or Water and Agriculture Department for the many problems they face, including river water cut-off by the Revolutionary Guards for consumption in IRGC-related industries in different provinces, such as Isfahan, Khuzestan, Chaharmahal, Kohkiluyeh, etc. In short, everyone is dissatisfied except for the security forces and affiliates of the mullahs. 

Do the Iranian teachers have any international support (organizations, institutions, governments, etc.)? 

When some teachers are detained illegally, Amnesty International issues a statement calling for the release of the imprisoned teachers. This is only when Iranians living abroad, especially the Mujahedin Khalq Organization (MEK), expose a case and seek support from international organizations and institutions. Otherwise, these organizations themselves do not independently get involved in the situation of the teachers in Iran, and as such, there is no support for them.  

In addition to these protests, during the summer there have been demonstrations in some regions of the country over water shortages. Other unions have also protested about working conditions, and even pensioners have demonstrated. All this shows a general discontent against the Iranian regime. What is your assessment of the current social situation in Iran? 

This is a very good question. Due to the bad economic and living conditions of the people, the dissatisfaction is increasing day by day, and now more than 90% of the people are dissatisfied with the current situation and want a regime change, so we have to wait and see broader protests in all walks of life in the near future, like what happened in November 2019. I always say that the regime is stuck in a quagmire where there is no way out but to be overthrown by the people because dictators never give in to the goodwill of the people and are not willing to leave power. As a result, everyone is waiting for such a situation to get rid of this regime and for a free and democratic government for which they made a revolution and ousted the Shah.