An Iranian teacher, Mostafa Ranjbaran, a biology teacher in Minab, southern Iran committed suicide due to unbearable economic pressures.
In a tweet on Thursday, February 3, Mohammad Habibi, a member of the board of directors of the Iran Teachers Trade Association, called “these suicides among teachers, workers, retirees and students” as “a kind of systematic murder” and that the Iranian regime officials are responsible for it.
No information has been released about the time and manner of Mr. Ranjiran’s suicide.
News of another teacher’s suicide comes amid widespread protests by teachers over the past year, ranging from rallies in various cities to sit-ins to protest the authorities’ indifference to their livelihoods.
Several teacher committed suicide in recent months due to financial and economic pressure.
In late January, a chemistry professor in Kashan, central Iran passed away after burning himself to death inside Kashan University to protest not receiving his pension bonus.
Dr. Javad Safari had retired because he needed the money. He was told they did not have the budget to pay his pension.
In June 2021, a high school math teacher self-immolated outside the Judiciary building in Isfahan, central Iran to protest a court ruling forcing him to evacuate his home. He later died from the severity of his burns.
According to the state-run ISNA News Agency, the man was identified as 43-year old Amin Kianpour, father of two girls.
Two other Iranian teachers, Hassan Chenari and Gholam-Abbas Yahyapour committed suicide in the past few months from poverty.
99% of teachers live under the poverty line
The National Statistics Center announced that the annual inflation reached 43% in June 2021. (The state-run Shahraranews.ir – June 26, 2021)
Ghaffar Jalali, a math teacher, told Etemadonline, “Other than top officials, 99% of our colleagues are living under the poverty line.” (The state-run salamatnews.com – September 28, 2021)
On the rising poverty line, Mohammad-Reza Mahboubfar, a sociologist, said, “The poverty line of a family of four was estimated at an average of 12 million Tomans ($426) per month in March 2021. Today, the poverty line has reached 14 million Tomans ($497) per month.” (The state-run ROKNA news agency – July 25, 2021)
The food basket for a family of 3.3 people exceeded 3 million Tomans ($106.5) per month at the end of spring. (The state-run Shahraranews.ir – June 26, 2021)
Of course, the purchase of detergents, healthcare, clothing, transportation, water, electricity, and gas costs is not considered when calculating the food basket cost. How could a teacher, especially a woman head of household, support their children with such low monthly salaries?
