By examining the level of importance given by the governments of advanced countries to education and its impact on the overall development of these countries, and taking a brief look at the events related to this field in our country, it is clear that education has not been a priority in previous governments.

Issues such as status and reputation of teaching, quality of teaching and learning, content of textbooks, unstable management, lack of emphasis on creativity, low rankings in international exams such as “TIMSS” and “PIRLS”, political interference in the selection of managers, the giant “Konkur” exam, power mafia, negative attitudes towards education, low budget allocation per capita, and problems with physical space, tools and equipment, along with failure to address important financial issues such as ranking, special bonuses, reserve fund problems, lack of permanent synchronization of pension benefits, special bonuses, efficiency bonuses, appropriate supplementary insurance, low-interest loans and other welfare issues that have either not been done well or have not been done at all. These are in addition to issues that have been implemented for many years, especially for many other executive government agencies, such as special bonuses and other support measures. The comparison of teachers’ salaries with other employees and the unbelievable gap between them, which members of parliament were surprised to see

According to most experts, one of the most influential factors on the status and livelihood of teachers is the discussion of their ranking, which has been mentioned in the Transformation Document since 2011 and in the Fifth and Sixth Development Plans, as well as the Public Services Management Law in subsequent years. This matter has been repeatedly discussed by officials, media outlets, and especially radio and television, and has been utilized by them.

If we start from the tenth government, it is quite clear that despite the highest oil income in the country’s history, unfortunately many previous plans, laws, and decisions to improve the status and welfare of teachers, such as ranking, were not implemented and the then Minister of Education passed this important matter on to the next government. In the eleventh government, although whispers of its implementation were heard, it was never fully and correctly carried out.

These plans were implemented in Mehr of 1398 (September-October 2019) in an incomplete form and with very low percentages for six months. After that, it was realized that since it had not yet been approved by the parliament, it was not executable; therefore, by merging it with another section called “Special Extraordinary”, its implementation began in the beginning of 1399 (March-April 2020) with the allocation of percentages between nine to twenty-one for certain sections of teachers’ salaries and bonuses.

After widespread protests by teachers, on February 25, 2021, the flawed ranking bill was finally sent to the parliament. The Education Commission of the parliament, considering the ten-year patience of teachers and their numerous requests, made appropriate changes to many of its articles according to the demands of teachers and various organizations. This includes Article 7, which was changed from allocating 25% more than the average salary of government employees to a minimum of 80% of the salary of university faculty members, in accordance with Clause 3 of Article 29 of the Sixth Development Plan Law. This was met with cultural acceptance by educators, but this happiness did not last long.

Despite the former head of the Organization for Planning and Budget’s public promise, the parliament’s presiding board, in a meeting on August 4, 2021, in the presence of representatives from cultural organizations and two members of parliament, opposed the budget being provided by the organization after its approval by the parliament due to the increase in financial burden and the uncertainty of how the budget will be provided. The bill was referred to the commission for further review.

In the meeting held on September 23rd, this commission proposed a new plan to allocate fifty percent of the average salary of government employees, which was brought up by the commission’s chairman. After the speeches of two representatives of teachers regarding the implementation of eighty percent, and a discussion and exchange of opinions among the commission’s representatives, no conclusion was reached and the reconsideration of it was postponed until mid-October.

The second important law that could have had a relatively good impact on teachers’ income and reducing the discriminatory gap between them and other employees, was the extraordinary special law which unfortunately, after years of waiting and while being implemented for most institutions between thirty-five to fifty percent, was only applied to teachers after many struggles, with a range of twelve to twenty-seven percent based on their rank, starting from the beginning of 2021. This caused severe protests from all teachers, especially young and new teachers. However, despite all the protests, the Ministry of Education did not offer them a real solution.

Now, the government is facing many challenges in the field of education on the verge of the new academic year: on one hand, the largest institution in the country, which is responsible for fourteen and a half million students, one million educators, and more than thirty million families, still does not recognize its own weaknesses. Not choosing the first nominee, who was even rejected by the Education Commission, caused severe protests from the educators of the country and as a result, they were not able to gain the vote of confidence from the parliament.

On the other hand, the uncertainty of the ranking destiny as the biggest factor in reducing the legal gap between teachers and other employees and the implementation of its fifty percent, which has also sparked rumors of gathering and fortification in the virtual space, the failure to properly implement the extraordinary and especially the unfair percentage of twelve for young teachers has led to their lack of motivation and disillusionment with the teaching profession. These issues are in line with the beautiful slogans of the thirteenth government regarding the improvement of the cultural situation of teachers and remind us of this beautiful saying: “A good year is evident from its spring.”

In addition to these issues, the COVID-19 pandemic and the delayed vaccination of teachers and the public, as well as the lack of vaccination for young students’ parents and the news of the new strain of coronavirus posing a threat to children and adolescents, are challenges that the government is facing.

If the government wants to safely pass through this crisis, it must first consult with representatives of cultural organizations in the country to fully implement an 80% salary increase for teachers, in line with university professors. Then, it should also equalize the special bonus coefficient of 50 for all teachers, similar to other government employees. It should urgently prioritize the full vaccination of colleagues and young parents, as well as the preparation for the vaccination of children and adolescents. Furthermore, it should ensure the provision of teaching materials, both online and in person. Finally, it should take action to introduce an efficient minister, according to the views of teacher representatives.

These are the most important and urgent matters that will pave the way for a hopeful and peaceful start for everyone. It is hoped that the government will handle this important task well, as history will remember this critical moment.

Let us remember that the impact of teachers’ work will directly affect half of the society and indirectly affect the whole society.