Several teachers were arrested
Today, January 13th, teachers held nationwide rallies in response to the call of the Coordinating Council of Cultural Trade Unions to follow up on their demands. These rallies have been held in front of the Islamic parliament in Tehran, and in front of the provincial head quarters in the provincial centres, and in front of the education department in other cities. In more than 60 cities including Tehran, Isfahan, Zanjan, Abadan and Tabriz, the strikes and rallies have been held, according to the reports received so far.
The rallies on the 13th January were as lively as before, and large crowds gathered and chanted, sang and gave speech. In these gatherings, employed and retired teachers were together, and in Gorgan, for example, a big banner in front of the crowd said “Employed and retired are united”. The presence of women in these rallies was impressive, and in many cities women stood behind the microphone and insisted on their demands with passionate speeches. A special resolution for teachers was also read at the rallies.
In Tehran, one of the teachers said in his passionate speech: “Security means give me my right and I will not come here anymore. It means that you give the right to retirees so that the teacher does not have to come. You should know that we stand for our lives and have no fear.” He went on ” I will dedicate the next topic to the pupils, and education for our children should be free.” His remarks were met with cheers and applause from the crowd.
The teachers’ rally in Bushehr was threatened by security forces from the very beginning. But teachers resisted and carried on their rally and protests. According to the reports, in this day in Bushehr, Mohsen Omrani, a well-known teacher, and Mahmoud_Malaki, a member of the board of directors of Bushehr Cultural Center, were arrested and transferred to an unknown place. There are also reports of more arrests in some other cities.
At this day’s rallies, teachers held banners reading “Free education,” “Livelihood, dignity, our inalienable right,” and “The imprisoned teacher must be released.”
An important part of the demands of teachers in their gatherings is related to school children and the poor situation of education. For example, in the posters calling for the gathering on January 14th, teachers emphasized the following demands: “Free education”, “Schools should be equipped”, * The content of textbooks should be designed according to the student’s age and life goals, “Educational justice for all”. The teachers also emphasized the equal rights of all government employees and all workers.
The Coordinating Council of Cultural Trade Unions had issued a resolution on the occasion of the 23rd of January gathering, as it had done the previous times, which was read at these gatherings. The resolution warns against the negligence of the government, citing the presence of tens of thousands of employed, retired teachers and service personnel from across the country in protest of the unacceptable performance of the government and parliament. The resolution also protests the attack on the livelihood, health and dignity of education retirees. The resolution also referred to the rampant inflation that has endangered the livelihoods of all people and emphasized the immediate implementation of teachers’ demands. The resolution also condemned the education based on class situation, calling for an immediate end to privatizations, and for free education.
At the end of its resolution, the Coordinating Council warns and writes: This council warns the rulers that no excuses are accesptable for denying the teachers demands, including sanctions, endangering national security. Therefore, ignoring the demands of retired and employed teachers and not complying with their demands will led to the widening of protests by teachers.
Teachers protest against poverty, austerity budgets, and discrimination and inequality. Teachers demand free education for all children.
We condemn the arrest of Mohsen Omrani and Malaki and other teachers and demand their immediate release. All teachers and political prisoners must be released.
Free Them Now (FTN)