The Tudeh Party of Iran Supports the Teachers’ Struggle: Warmest Greetings to the Brave and Progressive Teachers of Iran

In protest to the disastrous policies of the theocratic regime of Iran, particularly the horrible conditions created due to the wide-ranging economic crisis in the country, and to fight for their unalienated and legitimate rights, the Iranian teachers and educational workers have called for a sit-in protest in schools and educational centres across the country.

Devaluation of the national currency (Rial), the large gap between the wages and expenditures of families, soaring poverty in the society, social class-based education system, institutionalized corruption, and injustice, have all made a direct and devastating adverse impact on the livelihood, purchasing power, and job security of the teachers and educational workers, as have impacted other social layers.

The conscious and dedicated teachers of Iran have correctly recognized that the way to counter this situation is to escalate their struggle, and so they have announced a two-day sit-in at the schools on October 14 and 15 in order to express their protest and to advance their struggle.

The Coordinating Council of the Educational Workers’ Associations of Iran has stated in its call on October 10 that: “Now that high prices and incontrollable inflation has skyrocketed and the purchasing power of the teachers, much like the overwhelming majority of the working people, has shrunk, the cost of education has soared, and the parliament and government have not been able to do anything about the almost empty table of the working and retired educational workers and to improve the state of education, it is time we showed our objection to the chaotic conditions of education system… The Saving Fund of Educational Workers has been plundered and according to the Investigation Committee of the Fund, about 18 million Rials [~$1,500] has been stolen from the contributions of each and every member of the Fund. There is a disparity between the inflation rate and the wages of the educational workers, and the majority of the teachers live under the line of poverty. The quality of the public schools has degraded, and they are now run through payments and donations by the people… The security agencies and the judiciary power threaten, exile, suspend, expel, and imprison the justice-seeking and demand-pursuing teachers instead of dealing with the thieves and the corrupt.”

The teachers’ call adds: “…Because of these and thousands of other problems, the Coordinating Council of the Educational Workers’ Associations of Iran calls on all the educational workers across the nation in all schools at any level to sit-in at the school offices on Sunday October 14 and Monday October 15 and decline to go to the classes, and to explain the reason for their sit-in to the students… What teachers want are decent life for all and quality, free, and fair education for children.”

According to the published reports, in an attempt to thwart the teachers’ sit-in, the security agencies of the Iranian regime have threatened a number of the teachers and educational activists and have already arrested one individual in the city of Mashhad.

Tudeh Party of Iran fully supports the legitimate and brave struggle of the nation’s educational workers and the call of the Coordination Council of the Educational Workers of Iran for a sit-in and will fight alongside the noble and progressive teachers for their demands. The struggle of the educational workers is part of the general struggle of the people of Iran and particularly the working people of the nation against the oppression, repression, corruption, and the authoritarian rule over the country. This is a crucial and vital struggle against the theocratic dictatorship for achieving the basic and fundamental rights, democratic freedoms, social justice, and also to secure the livelihood of the people under the current harsh conditions. We must support the sit-in of the educational workers and we must tirelessly make every effort to link and tie the various popular struggles together.

·       For United and Unified Support of the Educational Workers

·       Towards the Broad United Action for Organized Struggle against the Theocratic Dictatorship

·       The Livelihood of the Teachers Must be Provided

·       Free the Jailed Teachers

·       Jobs, Bread, Freedom for all

The Tudeh Party of Iran

13 October 2018