BBC Persian - August 23, 2017
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"Infertility," "excessive facial hair" in women, severe migraines, diabetes insipidus, goiter, smoking addiction, one leg being more than 10 centimeters shorter than the other, and a "strong, unmodifiable accent that hinders the pronunciation of certain Persian letters like ch, g, zh, q (for primary school teachers)" are among the conditions that disqualify candidates from entering the teaching profession.
According to Fars News Agency, which published a report today (Wednesday, August 23), these criteria were issued by the Ministry's Center for Human Resources Planning and Information Technology for applicants to the Farhangian University and Shahid Rajaee Teacher Training University.
The report emphasizes: "This guideline was prepared in accordance with Articles 1 and 2 of Clause 12 of the Teacher Recruitment and Selection Law and outlines that teachers entering the profession should not have the conditions listed in the guideline."
Details of the Controversial Guidelines
The mentioned guideline includes numerous medical details and its publication has sparked widespread criticism on social media.
Shahindokht Molaverdi, Special Assistant to the President of Iran for Citizens' Rights, has acknowledged the discriminatory nature of these guidelines and has promised to investigate and report the results.
Examples of the Listed Conditions
The Ministry's Center for Human Resources Planning and Information Technology has outlined several conditions under which candidates are disqualified from becoming teachers:
- Women’s health-related issues, such as "excessive facial hair," "early or delayed puberty," and "history of uterine surgery," are listed as disqualifying "conditions."
- Visual impairments such as "having less than 10/10 vision in one eye, even with corrective lenses," "any field of vision defect in one or both eyes," and "having fewer than 20 teeth" are among other disqualifying factors.
- "Severe and disabling congenital or acquired spinal deformities," "any spinal surgeries causing physical disability," "loss of a limb if it prevents normal functionality," and one leg being over 10 centimeters shorter than the other are also mentioned.
- Skin diseases caused by sensitivity or exposure to chemicals (occupational, pharmaceutical, or chemical weapons) that are resistant to treatment, severe acne that alters facial appearance, and facial nerve damage leading to "functional impairment or disfigurement" are also included.
- Severe mitral or aortic valve stenosis, heart valve surgeries, kidney, prostate, or bladder stones (if they cause blockage or require ongoing treatment), and surgeries on the liver, gallbladder, biliary tract, or pancreas are listed among the disqualifying medical conditions.
The list even includes "mild mood disorders such as depression," migraines, "treatment-resistant and disabling headaches," diabetes insipidus, goiter, and "addiction to cigarettes and hookah."
Strong Accent as a Barrier
Another controversial section of the list states that a "strong and unmodifiable accent that prevents proper pronunciation of certain Persian letters like ch, g, zh, q, and others" is a disqualifying factor for elementary school and Persian literature teachers. However, the list notes that such an accent is permissible for teaching specialized subjects like mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, and administrative roles in middle and high schools.
The link to the original article in Farsi on BBC Persian:
ممنوعیت استخدام معلمان 'نابارور' یا دارای 'لهجه غلیظ' در ایران