The background of Teacher’s Day
In May 1340, the country’s teachers started a nationwide protest and strike under the living leadership of Yad Mohammad Derakhsh in order to claim their rights.
On May 12, Tehran teachers were planning to enter the Ministry of Culture premises located on Ekbatan Street, but they were prevented from entering.
The teachers went to Baharestan square and sat down on the ground in front of the parliament building.
The police used a water cannon to disperse them, but the teachers did not move.
Dr. Khanali, the 29-year-old secretary of Jami High School, along with some students, went on top of the sprinkler machine and changed the direction of the hose.
Then the police started shooting in the air, but the teachers did not move.
Colonel Shahrashtani, head of police station 2, tried to shoot, and Dr. Khanali was hit by a bullet, and he died in the hospital.
Mohammad Derakhsh, the head of the Iranian teachers’ society and the leader of the strike, was arrested and imprisoned.
From now on, the protest took a political color and the teachers announced 4 conditions for ending the strike as follows:
1- The fall of the Sharif Imami government
2- Punishment for the murderer of Dr. Khanali
3-Freedom to shine
4- Restoration of teachers’ salaries according to Mehregan club plan.
On May 15th, Sharif Emami resigned and Dr. Ali Amini was appointed to form the cabinet and Darakhesh was released from prison.
On the 18th of May, the teachers gathered at Mehrgan Club of Iran Teachers Association and through a resolution declared the 12th of May as Teacher’s Day because of their successful strike and honoring Dr. Khan Ali, and it was decided that every year on this day, all the schools in the country will celebrate Dr. Khan Ali. be closed
On the same day, Dr. Amini appeared at the Mehrgan club and promised the teachers an increase in their salaries, but the teachers refused and announced that they would not accept anyone except Derakhesh as the minister of culture.
On May 22, Derakhsh was appointed to the Ministry of Culture and the principle of teachers’ salaries equal to those of engineers was approved by the cabinet, thus ending the 10-day teachers’ strike and on May 23, teachers went to classes.
Teacher’s Day ceremony was held for two years, but it was not registered in Iran’s calendar and was gradually forgotten.
Until, in 1358, teachers came to revive May 12 as teacher’s day, which coincided with the martyrdom of Ayatollah Motahari, who was assassinated in the evening of May 11.
The government of that time announced 12 May with a delay of one day, the day of Ayatollah Motahari’s martyrdom and Teacher’s Day, thus establishing Teacher’s Day.
Unfortunately, many teachers, students and their parents think that Teacher’s Day is only because of Mr. Motahari’s martyrdom and they don’t know about its background.
Unfortunately, the name of Dr. Khan Ali, a fighting teacher who lost his life in the pursuit of the rights and dignity of teachers, is not seen in any of the spoken, written and visual media, but he is recorded in the heart of Iran’s history and will remain forever.
Happy teacher’s week to the dear, caring and knowledgeable teachers of Iran.
This post is written by YaSahebAlzaman1340