TEHRAN – The National Teacher’s Week will be held from May 2 to 8 under the theme ‘For Teacher, For Iran’.

World Teachers’ Day is held annually on October 5 to celebrate all teachers around the globe. It commemorates the signing of the recommendation by the International Labour Organization and the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization.

In Iran, the National Teacher’s Day is celebrated on May second, on the martyrdom anniversary of Morteza Motahari, an Iranian cleric, philosopher, lecturer, and politician who was assassinated on the same day.

The week provides an opportunity to honor and recognize teachers’ contributions to education and their pivotal role in building the future of the country. Each day of the week is named as follows.

Saturday, May second: Teacher, promoter of the spirit of martyrdom

Sunday, May third: Teacher, unifying national cohesion

Monday, May fourth: Teacher, cornerstone of science and technology production

Tuesday, May fifth: Teacher, narrator of national resistance and perseverance

Wednesday, May sixth: Teacher, linking nation and leadership 

Thursday, May seventh: Teacher, source of hope and flourishing for the country 

Friday, May eighth: Teacher, manifestation of pure thoughts and transformation in education

Minister of Education Alireza Kazemi has announced that 310 students and teachers have been killed, while more than 210 were wounded during the US-Israeli aggression on the country. Over 750 schools have sustained damage since the war against Iran began in late February. The aggression has so far claimed the lives of more than 2,000 people. 

In May 2023, the martyred Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, delivered a speech before a group of teachers on the occasion of Teacher Day.

In his speech, Ayatollah Khamenei highlighted the important role teachers play in building the future of Iran. He described them as "the architects of the country’s future," according to a readout by khamenei.ir. 

The Leader considered teachers to be trainers of precious jewels, that is, the generation of teenagers and youngsters. He also described teachers as the future architects of Iran, deeming them to be among the best and most noble groups in the country.

Ayatollah Khamenei also expressed his gratitude to teachers across the country because of their efforts. "The value and importance of raising a generation that is knowledgeable, well-informed, intellectual and logical, pious, full of determination and possessors of Islamic ethics and national commitments, to build the future of the country, cannot be compared to anything else," he emphasized.

"Our dear teachers should raise the children of this nation in the same manner that they wish their own children to be raised, [that is,] as happy, proud, wise, educated individuals who display respectable behavior. This important matter will be realized not only through teaching, but also through the behavior and actions of teachers," he continued.

Ayatollah Khamenei considered it essential to revive the feelings of an "Iranian-Islamic identity and national character" in the country’s intelligent youth, adding that students should be correctly taught about [the country’s] cultural, scientific and historical merits and records.

The Leader considered the comprehensive sense of responsibility of the government towards the community of teachers as a real necessity, underlining that "the livelihood of teachers is very important, but the problems that teachers have are not just limited to that. There is a wide range of issues that include skills training and experience training.

Ayatollah Khamenei considered it impossible to pass through the difficult stages of the country’s comprehensive development without the role and help of the education system. He also referred to the consensus of a number of experts regarding the central role that schools have in solving the country’s problems.

"The solution lies in proper planning and serious efforts to reform schools, and all officials, decision-makers, and members of the public must understand the vital importance of the education system," the Leader said.