Skip to main content
Gifts from The Morning Star
Teachers take on the Islamic Republic
Workers have always been at the forefront of resistance to the religious dictatorship in Iran, and now teachers have taken up the struggle to to redirect the nation's ample resources from militarisation to education, writes LIZ PAYNE

IRAN’S theocratic regime does not recognise trade unions, but teachers and educational workers have formed the nationwide Coordinating Council of Iranian Teachers’ Trade Associations (CCITTA) which has organised many protest actions, including petitions to the Iranian authorities and international organisations, sit-ins at schools, walkouts and rallies.

In yet another attempt to get their voices heard, thousands of teachers and educators gathered outside Iran’s parliament in Tehran and at education authority offices across the country on May 12.

These kind of actions have gained momentum in recent months and have met with violent suppression by the authorities. Teacher leaders and activists have lost their jobs and been arrested and imprisoned on baseless accusations, including “acting against national security.” The regime’s response on May 12 was no different.

The 95th Anniversary Appeal
Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
More from this author
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer speaks during a visit to BAE Systems in Govan, Glasgow, to launch the Strategic Defence Review, June 2, 2025
War & Austerity / 19 June 2025
19 June 2025

LIZ PAYNE condemns how Labour backs war in Gaza and Ukraine, and massive funding for Trident’s nuclear bombs, when billions are needed just to restore public services

ABANDONNED BY THE WEST: Amani Abu Zarada, fourth from left,
Features / 24 December 2024
24 December 2024
If we want to take on war in 2025, we must take on our own governments in the West, and most of all, take on Nato, writes the convener of the British Peace Assembly, LIZ PAYNE
A young girl takes part in a sombre lantern ceremony for the
Hiroshima Day 2024 / 6 August 2024
6 August 2024
LIZ PAYNE draws the parallels between 1945’s atomic horrors and today's conflicts, calling for mass resistance to Western aggression and a renewed push for global disarmament
This image taken from a video released by the Ukrainian Tsun
Features / 19 June 2024
19 June 2024
LIZ PAYNE explains that the only valid political demand over the conflict in Ukraine is that it is brought to an end as quickly as possible
Similar stories
In this photo released by the official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks in a meeting with judiciary officials in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, July 16, 2025
Middle East / 17 July 2025
17 July 2025

The Islamic Republic is attempting to deflect from its own failures with a scapegoating campaign against vulnerable and impoverished migrants, writes JAMSHID AHMADI

EMPTY POSTURE: Children accost Donald Trump in effigy during
Features / 31 March 2025
31 March 2025
As tensions rise in the Middle East, the role of Iran in the region’s political balance becomes ever more significant. STEVE BISHOP assesses the current situation
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks in a meeting wi
Features / 21 February 2025
21 February 2025
Freedom now for former PM Mir-Hossein Mousavi and other political prisoners
Kurdish women in Beirut, Lebanon, protest over the death of
Features / 13 September 2024
13 September 2024
Iran’s women’s rights movement now joins widespread unrest, as pensioners, steelworkers and students unite against corruption, repression and economic mismanagement by the theocratic regime, writes STEVE BISHOP