LARA GOHRİ

Mahabad- Students and teachers have been playing a leading role in the protests that started in Iran following the killing of Jina Mahsa Amini in September 2022. Many teachers and school administrators have been fired, detained and arrested in the country for supporting students. Fahima Sharifi, a school manager in Tehran, is one of the school administrators supporting students. She answered the questions of NuJINHA.

· How did the 'Jina Uprising' affect students?

Today, the generation in schools and universities is completely a different generation and the knowledgeable generation, understanding everything very well. After the killing of Jian, students participated in the uprising to demand freedom.  The killing of Jina lit the fire in the country. And this fire grows day by day.

 Students removed their hijabs

· What actions did teachers and students take during the protests?

The students first removed their hijabs. We controlled all the transportation services so that they wouldn't face any problems for not wearing hijabs. I think the most beautiful thing was seeing the beautiful hair of schoolgirls. Students tore up all the photos of Khomeini on their books. All photos of Khomeini on the school's walls were removed. I removed his photos in my office.

Teachers supported their students

· What did students do inside and outside of the school? Did teachers support their students?

Students wrote slogans on the walls of the schools by using spray paint. We did not prevent students and left the school to them. There were slogans on all the walls of the school. The students recorded their protest and shared it on social media platforms. I also wrote slogans on the walls to show that I supported them. Female teachers also removed their hijabs to support the protests. Only the religion teacher did support the students. I changed the religion teacher three times this year and warned the new religion teacher to be kind to the students and not impose religious thoughts on them.

Our aim was not to oppress students but protect them. In our meeting with the Regional Education Directorate, we demanded that the security forces should not be allowed to enter the school under any circumstances. Except two school managers, all school managers demanded that.

‘We protected students’

· Have your students participated in street protests or have your students been arrested?

Yes, many of our students have participated in street protests. I told them to wear face masks, not to go alone and to take water with them. After schools were closed, we faced a lot of risk and sometimes my colleagues and I became human shields to protect students. Two of our students were kidnapped by security forces while chanting slogans. Many of our students have been arrested for participating in protests. We do not know how many students have been arrested until now. Many students have been arrested in other cities, too.

‘Students were subjected to torture in prison’

·  What kind of change did you observe in students after they were released from prison?

The students released from prison suffer from psychological problems. One of the female students just stares in a corner without saying a word after being released from prison. Unfortunately, a student committed suicide after being released from prison. They go to a psychologist to receive psychological support. The psychologist told us not to ask anything to them but to make them feel that they are not alone.

· Have your colleagues or yourself faced any problems?

The intelligence agencies called me twice and oppressed me to report the students participating in the protests. Many of my colleagues have been fired, suspended from duty or arrested.  As a group of teachers and school administrators, we put an amount from our salaries aside for the suspended teachers. We support them and their families in this way.

‘The women's freedom movement will make an impact’

· How does the Jina uprising affect the women’s freedom movement?

Now, we see how the new generation is courageous. Nothing can stop them now. Despite torture, arrest and pressure, the protests continue. I do not see any girls wearing hijabs at school anymore. The new generation does not target the dictator but openly demands freedom. This generation, together with the generations before and after them, will surely replace the dictator’s shadow with the light of freedom. One day the women's freedom movement will affect all societies.