Iranian Activists Decry Government Corruption
More than 230 Iranian activists have condemned the government's corruption claiming that "a limited ruling class" has "reached astronomical wealth while political obstruction and suppression increase."
More than 230 Iranian activists have condemned the government's corruption claiming that "a limited ruling class" has "reached astronomical wealth while political obstruction and suppression increase."
The statement reflects deep concerns over the chronic crises that have gripped Iran in various sectors ranging from economic to political realms.
Signatories of the statement include prominent figures such as Alireza Rajaie, a dissident journalist who lost an eye in the hands of iran's security forces, Abolfazl Ghadiani, Moteza Alviri, once an ally but now staunch critic of Iran's supreme leader, and former MP Parvaneh Salahshouri, who collectively urge for immediate action to remedy the situation.
They highlighted recent events including the execution sentence against Toomaj Salehi for his protest music, which activists see as an indication of ongoing political and religious autocracy.
Furthermore, they said reports of severe punishments, such as the amputation of fingers for theft, contrast sharply with the government's leniency towards high-level corruption and violations in the regime.
The activists' statement paints a picture of the socioeconomic conditions, highlighting that no substantial progress has been made to alleviate inflation, corruption, or the recession as over one third of Iranians are now living under the poverty line.
According to official statistics, Iran now ranks as the eighth country globally with the highest misery index and fares poorly in international happiness and economic growth metrics. The statement emphasizes the plight of ordinary Iranians, citing that a worker would need over two centuries to afford an apartment in Tehran, underlining the severity of the economic disparities.
The signatories called for a step-by-step structural transition and a comprehensive re-evaluation of policies to address the crises holistically, urging for the establishment of professional and academic organizations within civil society.
The minister, Reza Morad Sahraei, continued his criticism, telling the state-run Tasnim news agency that the document was "dictated from outside" and, under the administration of Ebrahim Raisi, is "completely cut out of any planning process."
The UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is a set of standards developed by UNESCO that provides children and young people with a basic understanding of the environment, human rights, and the elimination of discrimination in society.
The UN General Assembly adopted the document in September 2015 with the goal of improving the quality of education worldwide. The document was signed by member states, who agreed to anticipate the financing needed to improve education, prevent child abuse, and promote gender equality.
While the Iranian government signed on to the document under former president Hassan Rouhani (2013-2021), it was not implemented after Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei explicitly criticized it, claiming it promoted the "defective, destructive and corrupt Western lifestyle."
In a speech at a 2022 UNESCO summit, the country’s current President, Ebrahim Raisi, described the 2030 Education Plan as "one-dimensional and secular." He said the Islamic Republic had drafted its own “transformation” document based on “Iranian-Islamic educational philosophy.”
A year later, Iran's Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution (SCCR) announced a resolution called the "revocation of the 2030 document." SCCR is a regime policy body responsible for developing and formulating scientific, educational, religious, and research strategies. In 2023, the EU and UK designated this unelected body accountable exclusively to Ali Khamenei.
Since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, the state has relentlessly attempted – and failed – to indoctrinate Iranians with its Islamist ideology through the country’s education system.
Following the significant involvement of the young generation in the nationwide anti-regime protests in 2022, the state initiated "purges" targeting thousands of staff within the country’s educational system, aiming to remove individuals perceived as threats.
Scores of teachers who supported the protests were expelled, and many were forced to retire early, while 3,500 clerics and seminarians have instead been hired as teachers instead to fill some of the tens of thousands of new positions created to deal with the shortage.
An education ministry spokesperson, Ali Farhadi, has stated that the ministry only learned about the recruitment after it had occurred. “We, too, found out that these individuals had been accepted [for the positions] after the examinations [of candidates for teaching positions] were held,” he claimed.
Regime-run media, however, has been advocating that clerics become teachers for months.
Despite the fact that the clergy have operated unofficial schools before, lawmakers hastily approved a proposal in January to have the Ministry of Education issue licenses to persons and legal entities wishing to establish private schools attached to mosques if they meet certain building requirements.
A gender-specific school curriculum and textbook changes were also discussed by Education Minister Reza Morad Sahraei in November.
Against this backdrop, teachers claim the regime’s policies and changes have transformed the country's schools into “religious and military bases”.
A December interview with Khabar Online, a domestic outlet, reported teachers' concerns about plans to "shift schools away from their primary function,” stating that ideological and religious studies have taken over most of the content of the school curriculum, even science, causing students to lose interest in the subject.
