Newshub: Iran’s education department has sparked outrage online after banning ‘ugly’ teachers.
A list by the Ministry of Education details hundreds of illnesses and conditions that prevent people from entering the teaching field.
Most controversial are those relating to teachers’ appearances.
The ban includes those with severe acne or eczema, burn marks, unsightly facial moles, or less than 20 teeth. Women with facial hair are also banned.
Other rules regard conditions that would usually be unnoticeable such as female infertility, cancer, bladder stones, or colour blindness.
The list went viral after it was published by the semi-official FARS news agency which pointed out that prospective teachers spend more time undergoing medical tests than they do on training.
Social media users have attacked the rules, calling them ableist, discriminatory, and a clear violation of human rights.
An advisor to the President has since promised that the list would be investigated.
As a result of the backlash, an education spokesperson told the Tehran-based Etemad newspaper that rules specifically targeting women would be removed and the rest of the list reviewed, according to Euro News.
Newshub.