On Thursday, October 5, on the occasion of the International Teacher’s Day, at least 28 cities in 20 provinces of the country witnessed protest gatherings of the education staff. In Tehran, incumbent and retired education staff along with labor activists, retired workers and other retirees and families of political prisoners gathered in front of the regime’s planning and budget organization. The presence of about 3000 women education staff frustrated of the mullahs’ tyranny in the gathering was impressive. The rallying slogans were: “teacher stand up to eliminate discrimination,” “the imprisoned teachers should be freed,” “Never has a nation seen such injustice,” “one less embezzlement, our problems will be resolved,” “Fair wage, is our certain right “and” Our tables are empty of food, while you continue your lies.”
They had written manuscripts in their hands that wrote: “Imprisoned Teacher, Worker, and student must be released”, “The robbers’ hands off the Retirement Funds”, “The Teacher’s place is not in prison,” and “We demand higher salaries above the poverty line at least 4 million Tomans”.
At the same time, teachers and retired education staff had gatherings in different cities, including Ahvaz, Isfahan, Sharkurd, Yazd, Karaj, Qazvin, Tabriz, Rasht, Sari, Azad Shahr (Golestan Province), Mashhad, Bojnourd, Torbat Heydarieh, Khoram Abad, Aligudarz, Malayer, Kohdasht and Rumshkan and Delfan (Lorestan province), Hamedan, Kermanshah, Sanandaj, Saqez, Mahabad, Marivan and Bushehr. In a symbolic act In Shiraz, the education staff, took a coffin as a symbol of the destruction of the country’s education.
In their nationwide resolution, the education staff demanded payment of nine months of arrears, equalization of the salaries of retired and employed teachers with other government employees, so that the salary of no teachers are below the poverty line, the provision of full health insurance, occupational and psychological safety of all the teachers, including teachers in private sector, part time and freelancer teachers, and medical insurance coverage for them; providing students with educational needs, taking into account their geographical, cultural and ethnic diversity, and ensuring the prevention of social harm in schools.
Iranian Resistance, while greeting the noble education staff and other strata, calls on the public, especially the brave youth, for support and solidarity with them.
Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
October 5, 2017
