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RFL/RE – Iran’s education minister has announced plans for a fundamental transformation of the country’s educational system with the introduction of gender-specific textbooks for male and female students, suggesting a deeper ideological shift in the Islamic leadership’s governance.
Rezamorad Sahraei, speaking at the Behindokht festival’s closing ceremony on November 12, said the initiative signifies a significant change in Iran’s approach to education and aligns with what he referred to as a “culture of modesty” being sought by authorities.
He did not provide specific details or a timetable for the implementation of gender-segregated textbooks.
The announcement comes amid a sweeping educational change in Iran, with Sahraei saying more than 120,000 schools across the nation face a “major” overhaul.
On the eve of the new academic year two months ago, Sahraei announced that nearly 20,000 school principals were changed to “create transformation in schools.”
Meanwhile, Jalal Mahmoudzadeh, a Sunni representative from Mahabad in the Iranian parliament, criticized the “purification” in the government program presented last month, stating that in less than five months 15,000 to 20 thousand school principals in Iran have been sidelined for “political and ideological reasons.”
Iran’s schools, particularly girls’ schools, became focal points for unrest over the past year after the September 2022 death of Mahsa Amini while in police custody for a hijab violation.
The government has responded by cracking down violently on student campuses, while firing and imprisoning many educators for their support of the demonstrators.
Restrictions have been tightened already at many educational institutions, with teachers under increased pressure and many students facing severe disciplinary actions for voicing any dissent.
The activist HRANA news agency says that more than 500 people have been killed during the unrest, including 71 minors, as security forces try to stifle widespread discontent with the government.
Thousands have been arrested in the clampdown, with the judiciary handing down harsh sentences — including the death penalty — to protesters.
