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700,000 teachers under poverty line in Iran |
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Wednesday, 07 February 2007 |
NCRI - Yesterday, more than 1,000 teachers protested against the suppressive policies of mullahs’ regime and their miserable living conditions before the regime’s Majlis.
They chanted slogans such as “Shame on you who claim to have stand for equality,” “People have never seen a Majlis as ineffective as this one”, and “Schools shutdown is our reply to Majlis’s incompetence.” On January 25, 2007, a similar demonstration took place in the same location.
Director General of Teachers’ Club, Ali-Akbar Baghani in regards with the teachers living conditions said, “In the Ministry of Education, more than 700,000 teachers are employed who receive a salary of only 130 to 250 thousand Tomans (162 to 312 dollars) a month. It means they live under the poverty line. This trend if not stopped may have similar effect to January 2004, strikes [by teachers],” (the state-run daily sarmayeh reported on Monday).
Ms. Soheila Sadeq, Chair of the Education Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, stated, “Percentages of teachers living under the extreme poverty line in Iran is much higher than the official figures. The teachers buying power is decreasing as result of the regime’s inhuman and anti-Iranian policies. The teachers’ living conditions are the other side of the ruling mullahs’ generous spending on suppressive security apparatus, nuclear projects, and export of terrorism and fundamentalism as well as a huge spending on their propaganda machine.”
Ms. Sadeq welcomed the freedom loving and brave teachers throughout the nation. She called on university and school students as well as Iranian youths to support the striking teachers and defend their rights. The extreme living conditions of teachers and other office workers is an indication of a volatile state in the Iranian society which has been met by the regime’s suppressive measures.
She called on all international teachers’ syndicates and unions to condemn the Iranian regime’s suppressive measures against Iranian teachers and support their plight for their inalienable rights.
Education Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
February 6, 2007
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