In 1960 I was in 6th grade of high school for the second time. In May 1961 a cultural protest was made by the leadership of Mohammad Derakhshesh. In the continuation of this protest, teachers gathered in protest in Baharestan Square for their low salaries and bad economic situation and went on strike.
The protest trend speeds up and there were clashes between the teachers and the military. They started to shoot and a teacher, Dr. Abolhassan Khan'ali[1], who was a teacher of Jami High School was shot dead. Two others were wounded. Many protestors were also injured among the crowd when running away while being scared from the fires.
This tragic event resulted in prime minister Sharif Emami censure and then he resigned. Teachers' wages increased and Mohammad Derakhshesh[2], leader of strikers, became Ministry of Education.
I was acquainted with Abolhassan Khan'ali when I was passing the first 3 years of Jami High School. He was a warmhearted, good believer and with good morals. He was also well-educated. He would go to Imamzadeh Davoud (PBUH) Shrine and voluntarily would manage the affairs over there.[3]
This event had a big impression on me. At those young ages these events were eye-opener for me and would show me the right way. This feeling in me was shaped at a time when many of the youth were led to miserable and corrupting affairs. Unwholesome fares, sports as Football and wrestling, watching cinema and theatre and … were leading the youth to misery. Thanks to God, I was raised in a place that made me to be non-ignorant to my surroundings.
[1] Abolhassan Khan’ali, was officially a teacher in Education Ministry and also a PhD candidate of Theology in Tehran University. On May 2nd 1963 he was shot dead in the head during teachers strike protest by the fire of Major Nasser Shahrestani, commander of Police Station Number 2 of Baharestan.
[2] Mohammad Derakhshesh was born in 1915 in a poor Tehrani family. He had BS in history and geography. He had taught for years in capital high schools. Before being minister he had been president of the Office for Sending Students Abroad and High Inspector of Education Ministry. He was also founder of Mehregan Teachers’ Club. He was famous for his anger. (Kermanshah Newspaper, No. 3887, June 1962)
[3] About this event, the press wrote: “Teachers’ strike began in Tehran… there was a clash between them and the police and teacher named Abolhassan Khan’ali was shot dead and 6 others were injured. Capital teachers after 11 days of strike ended it by a statement and the schools and classes which were closed during these days began their work again.
Archive of Footnotes
leave your comments