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Gov’t Increases Wages, Benefits for Teachers

Gov’t Increases Wages, Benefits for Teachers
Gov’t Increases Wages, Benefits for Teachers

The annual budget of the Education Ministry has doubled over the past three years, President Hassan Rouhani said in Tehran on Wednesday.

“According to data sent to me by the Management and Planning Organization, the ministry’s budget was 147,000 billion rials ($4.2 billion) in 2014. It has increased to 274,000 billion rials ($7 billion) this year,” he said, addressing teachers from across the country on the occasion of Teacher’s Week (May 1-6), IRNA reported.

The budget over the past three years had exceeded the approved amount annually; 113.4%, 108.6%, and 108.4% respectively for 2014, 2015, and 2016, he noted, adding that the government needs to do more to support the Education Ministry.

Rouhani came to office in the summer of 2013 and promised to deliver on a whole lot of pressing economic, social and cultural issues.

“Wages and financial benefits of teachers also increased over the three-year period, as the average monthly salary of teachers increased from 12.8 million rials ($370) in 2013 to 23.3 million ($670) in 2016.”

A total of 35,000 billion rials ($1 billion) has been allocated to implementation of the teachers’ rating (evaluation) scheme, and another 45,000 billion rials ($1.2 billion) to bonuses and benefits for the Education Ministry staff, including teachers.

The president also made mention of an additional 500 people appointed to education workforce in the underdeveloped Sistan-Baluchistan Province.

Stressing that schools are where culture is cultivated among children, he said, “We need to invest in schooling and education for conducive cultural growth.”

“Investing a large part of financial resources on the youth and their education is the only way to address and eliminate social ills in the country.”

He reiterated the need to provide equal education and educational opportunities for all children in Iran regardless of ethnicity, religion, or political orientation.

Financialtribune.com