In a dramatic move reminiscent of ideological purges, Iran’s clerical regime has dismissed 20,000 school principals, as reported by the state-run newspaper Etemad. This sweeping action is part of a broader strategy to eliminate dissent and enforce loyalty within the country’s educational system.

Morteza Nazari, a former head of the Ministry of Education’s Information Center, revealed that these dismissals were punitive measures targeting those who supported the 2022 uprising following the death of Mahsa Amini. This uprising saw massive participation from students and teachers voicing their discontent with the regime’s oppressive policies.

According to Nazari, the Ministry of Education did not provide clear reasons for the dismissals, treating these educators as expendable “cogs and bolts” rather than valuable professionals. Many of these individuals had reached their positions through years of dedicated service and investment in their education. The regime claims that the changes are part of a natural cycle of retirements and replacements. However, many view this as a tactic of “purification,” aimed at removing critics and suppressing potential future dissent. Reza Morad Sahraee, the Minister of Education, denied that the dismissals were part of a purge, calling the turnover a routine annual occurrence.

The crackdown extends beyond school principals to university professors. Last October, Mehdi Tehranchi, president of Azad University, dismissed 32,000 associate professors nationwide, replacing them with 20,000 first- and second-semester doctoral students. These hastily trained replacements are expected to serve as loyal propagators of the regime’s ideology. The mass dismissals have left many experienced educators without their primary source of income, facing bleak employment prospects. The regime’s stringent ideological criteria for employment further exacerbate their plight, effectively blacklisting those who have previously expressed dissent or failed to demonstrate unwavering loyalty to the Islamic Republic’s principles.

This latest wave of dismissals is part of a long-standing effort by the Iranian regime to control and manipulate educational institutions. Since the 1979 revolution, the regime has sought to militarize and ideologically purify universities, often with limited success. Every uprising, including the recent 2022 protests, has shown the regime that intellectual freedom and dissent cannot be entirely eradicated. The regime’s desperation to maintain control over the educational sector underscores its fear that intellectual independence could fuel further uprisings. Critics argue that this heavy-handed approach only serves to deepen discontent and alienate the very individuals tasked with shaping the nation’s future.

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