Security Forces Attack Parents Protesting Shortage Of Teachers

Security forces have attacked a gathering of students’ parents who were protesting a shortage of elementary teachers in their village in southwestern Iran.

Security and Revolutionary Guard’s Basij forces of the education ministry’s office in Behbahan, Khuzestan province, attacked the families of students from Qaleh Seyyed village, who were holding a demonstration outside the provincial office on Wednesday.

During the attack, the forces used electric shock devices on the citizens and detained four individuals.

According to eyewitnesses, security forces threatened to shoot at some of the parents in addition to physically assaulting them, including a pregnant woman who was tasered. The agents also confiscated cellphones of some of the participants who recorded the incident.

According to an estimate by the Fararu website, Iran faces a critical shortage of teachers as 10,000 classrooms remain without instructors. However, according to recent statements by regime officials, there is a shortfall of around 250,000 to 300,000 teachers, affecting roughly 16 million students across all grade levels.

In the province of Tehran alone, the shortage of teachers is estimated to be around 4,000. Sistan and Baluchestan province, classified as one of the most underprivileged areas in terms of education, requires an urgent influx of 15,000 teachers.

Fararu has reported that the concerning statistics have prompted 30 members of parliament to sign a motion seeking the impeachment of Sahraei. However, the motion has yet to proceed to the implementation stage.

Earlier this month, Sahraei claimed that there were no reports of "teacherless classes," and the issue of classes without teachers had been resolved in the first weeks of the academic year.