Iran Cracks Down on Teachers, Sack Them for Supporting Protests

Iranian authorities have fired teacher Sakineh Maleki for her participation in the 2022 protests and teacher sit-ins, according to the Iran Human Rights Campaign.

Maleki, from Gilan province, was dismissed for involvement in the Woman, Life, Freedom protests and teacher demonstrations. 

This incident marks a continuation of the government's crackdown on educators who voiced dissent.

In recent months, there has been a pattern of retaliation against teachers who participated in protests.

On March 12, security forces banned Mohammad Moradi Nesari, an educator from Sanandaj, from teaching. 

This action followed his publications of Kurdish poetry books and interviews on the Kurdish language and literature.

Similarly, Sara Siahpour, a teacher in Alborz province, was dismissed on February 19 for supporting public protests. 

On February 3, 2023, Mohammad Saeedi Abu Eshaghi, a teacher from Lordegan, lost his job for expressing support for protests and sympathizing with families of victims seeking justice.

These incidents come amidst a severe teacher shortage in the Iranian education sector.

To address the teacher shortfall, authorities have reportedly brought thousands of religious students from seminaries into schools.

The Coordinating Council Teachers' Union criticized this approach. In a statement on their Telegram channel, they called it a "reactionary" move and a return to an outdated educational system. 

The council argued that replacing experienced teachers with students and clerics lacking expertise "purges schools of specialized teaching staff" and harms children's education.