In a move that has sparked outrage among civil society and human rights advocates, Iranian state media reported on Sunday, April 20, that a new agreement has been signed between Iran’s Chief of Police (The State Security Force), Ahmad Reza Radan, and the Minister of Education, Alireza Kazemi. The memorandum grants the SSF new authority within the education system, allowing them to enforce Mandatory hijab regulations in schools.
At the signing ceremony, Education Minister Alireza Kazemi openly pledged allegiance to the notorious police chief, referring to himself as a “proud soldier” of Radan. Kazemi described violation of “hijab and chastity” as cultural “threats” that require targeted educational and cultural interventions.
Ahmad Reza Radan—who has been sanctioned by the European Union, the United States, and Canada for gross human rights violations—declared that cooperation between the SSF and the Education Ministry was insufficient. “If we assume this collaboration is enough, we will fall into a third negligence—and once again, be caught off guard,” he warned ominously.
The agreement has drawn strong condemnation from educators and civil society figures. Some expressed concern that any agreement that opens the doors of schools to security and police forces undermines the psychological safety of students and teachers. Schools are no place for batons and coercive power.
The agreement is part of a broader strategy by the Iranian regime to militarize the educational environment and extend its surveillance and control over students and educators—particularly in the wake of the 2022 nationwide uprising.
The State Security Force has a well-documented history of violent crackdowns on peaceful protests and systematic human rights abuses.
Their presence in schools to enforce ideological conformity and Mandatory hijab laws raises serious alarms about the increasing infringement on students’ rights and the psychological toll on the educational community.
