Background of Teacher’s Day in Iran
On May 12, 1340, the country’s teachers protested and went on a nationwide strike under the leadership of Yad Mohammad Derakhsh in order to assert their rights.
On May 12, teachers in Tehran were planning to enter the premises of the Ministry of Culture 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 get up.
Colonel Shahrashtani, head of police station 2, started shooting, 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 to end 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 May 18, teachers gathered at the Mehrgan Club of Iran Teachers’ Association and through a resolution, they declared May 12 as Teacher’s Day because of their successful strike and that of Dr. Khan Ali. Khanali should 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 salary of teachers was equal to that of engineers, and it was approved by the cabinet, thus ending the 10-day strike of teachers, 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 12th of May with a delay of one day, the day of Ayatollah Motahari’s martyrdom and teacher’s day, and in this way, teacher’s day was established.
Unfortunately, many teachers, students and their parents think that Teacher’s Day is celebrated only because of Ayatollah Motahari’s martyrdom, and they don’t know about its history. None of the spoken, written and visual media can be seen, but it is recorded in the heart of Iran’s history and will remain forever.
This post is written by taromi1120