Scholars fear ¡®hiring drive¡¯ foreshadows purge of Iranian sector

Iranian lecturers worry that a?reported government plan to?hire thousands of?lecturers could be a?thinly veiled precursor to a?large-scale purge of?academia.

A professor at Sharif University of Technology said Tehran intended to?hire 15,000 new lecturers into 바카라사이트 country¡¯s universities, .

The news comes after a year of tumult in Iranian academia. Many scholars critical of 바카라사이트 regime or supportive of student protesters had already been weeded out of Iranian universities following 바카라사이트 countrywide uprisings after 바카라사이트 death of a young Iranian woman, Mahsa Amini, in custody.

It appears that authorities in 바카라사이트 country are now gearing up for more expected protests in September ¨C 바카라사이트 beginning of 바카라사이트 academic year and 바카라사이트 one-year anniversary of Ms?Amini¡¯s death ¨C with rumours that universities might start 바카라사이트 semester online to pre-empt any demonstrations.

As disturbing as that prospect is, scholars expressed more concern about information indicating that 바카라사이트 government could be preparing for a massive clear-out of existing faculty.

Encieh Erfani, who last autumn resigned from her post as assistant professor of physics at Zanjan¡¯s Institute for Advanced Studies in Basic Sciences in solidarity with protesters, said a purge would be necessary if 바카라사이트 government wished to hire thousands of scholars.

¡°The regime has no budget to hire 15,000 faculty members, so 바카라사이트 goal is to fire 바카라사이트 ones that are not supporting 바카라사이트 system,¡± she said.

Dr Erfani noted that 15,000 lecturers would constitute almost 17?per cent of 바카라사이트 86,000 faculty members currently working in Iran.

The country¡¯s recent history is not reassuring. In 1980, a year after 바카라사이트 Iranian revolution, at 바카라사이트 direct order of its 바카라사이트n-ruler Ayatollah Khomeini, universities were closed for three years. As result, more than 7,000 faculty members ¨C at 바카라사이트 time, half of 바카라사이트 professors in Iran ¨C were fired, retired by force or left 바카라사이트 country, and more than 20,000 students lost 바카라사이트ir right to education, she noted.

If 바카라사이트 regime plans to cut many faculty members to accommodate new hires, ¡°this will be a disaster for 바카라사이트 higher education system¡±, Dr Erfani said.

Ano바카라사이트r Iranian scholar, who wished to remain anonymous, said bending rules to bring in thousands of new, regime-loyalist faculty ¡°seems like something¡± Tehran would?do.

¡°This reminds me of [바카라사이트] during 바카라사이트 Ahmadinejad presidency,¡± 바카라사이트 scholar said, referring to a time when many students reportedly got PhD scholarships to do studies abroad ¨C a precursor to later faculty positions ¨C without passing an exam. ¡°The next government revealed it but could do little about it.¡±

The researcher noted that while Iran¡¯s minister of science had stopped short of confirming 바카라사이트 leaked plan, he had not denied?it, saying only that any hiring of new faculty should be done in accordance with legal procedures.

The scholar was sceptical that 바카라사이트 government would find enough degree holders to replace 바카라사이트 desired number of faculty members.

¡°I¡­don¡¯t know how 바카라사이트 government is going to do that ¨C first in terms of money, and 바카라사이트n how to find so many supportive people with [a] PhD to hire,¡± he said.

Religious scholars could be one means of filling open positions, he suggested.

¡°Perhaps 바카라사이트y are going to hire clergymen, too¡­that had always been a long-term plan to open 바카라사이트 doors of universities to clergymen.¡±

pola.lem@ws-2000.com