Support Kurdish Teachers
236
Signatures
500
Goal
August 29, 2025
The disciplinary boards of Iran’s Ministry of Education in Kurdistan Province, followed by the ministry’s appellate board, have issued and upheld harsh, coordinated punitive rulings against at least fifteen Kurdish teachers. These rulings include permanent dismissal, temporary suspension, forced retirement with demotion, internal exile, and bans on appointment to senior posts.
The immediate trigger for this crackdown was the May 2024 election of the Kurdistan Teachers’ Trade Association in Sanandaj. Unlike in much of the country, hundreds of teachers participated, reaffirming Kurdistan’s role as a center of grassroots union organizing. In response, security and administrative bodies of the Islamic Republic fabricated cases against organizers and candidates, pursuing a campaign of intimidation aimed at silencing the independent voice of Kurdish teachers.
The Kurdistan Teachers’ Association has condemned these measures, reminding the public that since 2003, it has been one of the most active labor organizations in Iran, and that Kurdistan remains the only province to have consistently held open and independent trade elections.
Despite teachers’ defenses and negotiations with provincial officials, not only were the rulings not overturned, they were confirmed, and in some cases even intensified, on appeal. A review of the verdicts shows: six teachers permanently dismissed, three suspended, three forced into retirement with demotion, one exiled to another province, and one banned from sensitive positions for five years. Nearly all of them are long-time leaders or candidates of the teachers’ association, with 17 to 30 years of service in the education sector.
Our Concerns
We, the undersigned, are deeply alarmed by the targeting of teachers in Kurdistan who, for defending their professional rights and their students, now face dismissal and exile. These actions not only violate fundamental human rights but also deepen Iran’s educational crisis and widen existing social divides.
We protest the following:
- Dismissal of teachers: We demand the immediate annulment of all expulsion and exile orders against Kurdish teachers. These measures are cruel and senseless. Teachers must be free to educate the next generation without fear of retaliation.
- Suppression of civil activists: We call on the authorities to end the repression of union and civic activists and to respect their rights. Silencing them only fuels public mistrust and worsens social crises.
- The deepening education crisis: We warn that these policies will only exacerbate the current educational breakdown, eroding public confidence in schools. Teachers stripped from classrooms cannot fulfill their essential role, and it is students who will ultimately suffer.
- Protection of students’ rights: Teachers’ rights and students’ rights are inseparable. Any attack on the former is an attack on the latter. We call for a safe and supportive educational environment for all students.
- The need for solidarity: We urge all civil, cultural, and social organizations to join us in amplifying the teachers’ voices. Broad solidarity can strengthen protest movements and raise public awareness.
By signing this petition, we call on the decision-making bodies of the Islamic Republic to heed these demands and address the situation of Kurdistan’s teachers. We hope that our collective action will amplify the voices of teachers and civic activists, helping to bring about positive changes in Iran’s educational and social policies.
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See where all the votes are coming from
Province Number of signatures Alborz 6 Ardabil 1 Bushehr 1 Chahar Mahaal and Bakhtiari 0 East Azerbaijan 3 Fars 5 Gilan 3 Golestan 2 Hamadan 5 Hormozgan 2 Ilam 0 Isfahan 3 Kerman 2 Kermanshah 5 Khuzestan 0 Kohgiluyehv And Boyer Ahmad 0 Kurdistan 49 Lorestan 0 Markazi 0 Mazandaran 0 North Khorasan 2 Qazvin 0 Qom 0 Razavi Khorasan 2 Semnan 0 Sistan and Baluchestan 0 South Khorasan 0 Tehran 18 West Azerbaijan 5 Yazd 1 Zanjan 0 This petition has received 236 signatures so far. Approximately 92% of signatures come from Iran. Approximately 8% of signatures come from outside of Iran. Learn how Daadkhast generates signature maps. -
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حمایت خودم را از معلمان کردستان و انجمن صنفی آنها اعلام میکنم.
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Signed via Telegram
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Signed via Telegram
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A Kurdish civil activist started this petition
حمایت خودم را از معلمان کردستان و انجمن صنفی آنها اعلام میکنم.