TEHRAN — Iran’s Ministry of Education has revised a widely criticized set of recruitment guidelines for teachers which prohibited them from teaching based on their physical appearance or diseases, ISNA reported.

The set of guidelines, published initially by Fars news agency on August 23, excluded individuals with a wide range of illnesses including poor eyesight, skin conditions, lung and kidney diseases, bladder problems, brain tumors, migraine, strokes, mental disorders, speech impairment, gallstone, hepatitis, autoimmune diseases, female reproductive system diseases, breast, cervical, and ovarian cancer. 

The list went viral on social media and many argued that a great deal of illnesses listed in the guidelines do not necessarily affect someone’s ability to teach. 

The guidelines were drawn up and enforced for two years supposed to make an improvement upon the previous recruitment policies, according to Esfandiar Chaharband, head of the Center for Human Resources Planning and Information Technology of Education Ministry.  

However, he explained that the guidelines were reconsidered and some parts, particularly the ones pertaining to female reproductive system diseases are totally omitted. 

He further noted that no-one has ever been banned from work on this basis and the diseases were only reported as medical record for each individual.

As Shahindokht Molaverdi, presidential aide for civil rights affairs, wrote on her twitter account on August 24, the guidelines were re-evaluated and the newly altered ones will be declared soon.  

MQ/MG