October 9, 2005
1. Theoretical Foundations of the Necessity of Mother Tongue Education
The importance of primary education for children in their mother tongue has been the subject of extensive research. For the first time in 1929, an academic conference was held by the International Bureau of Education in Luxembourg, during which there was virtually no doubt about this issue. In the half-century following this conference, the number of books on bilingual education exceeded 20,000 titles. The conclusion of the Luxembourg conference highlighted the fact that education in a language other than the mother tongue harms the child’s personality development.
Subsequent research published by UNESCO reinforced the following principles:
- Psychologically: Education in the mother tongue improves comprehension.
- Socially: It facilitates smoother integration of the child into their social environment and connects them to their cultural heritage.
- Emotionally: Education in the mother tongue prevents emotional disconnection from the educational environment.
- Educationally: It enhances both the quantity and quality of classroom communication, providing students with the primary tool of thought—language.
Blanc and Hammer have demonstrated that in a conflicting educational environment where teaching occurs in a language other than the mother tongue, children may become less communicative, self-censor, and experience emotional distress and feelings of shame. Labov's studies reveal that, in such situations, children often prefer to remain silent or speak minimally in unfamiliar settings.
The research of later scholars such as Jean Piaget, Claparède, and others emphasizes the necessity of using the mother tongue in early childhood education. Excluding the mother tongue during the initial years of education runs counter to the principles of modern education.
2. Educational Policy in Iran
As evident, all educational scholars regard mother tongue education as a fundamental and essential principle, considering its deviation unjustifiable.
However, in Iran, educational policies for non-Persian ethnic groups are not based on educational principles but rather on chauvinistic and hegemonic objectives. A quote from Mohammad-Ali Foroughi, Reza Shah's Prime Minister, at the outset of implementing this policy illustrates this point. In a 1927 statement regarding the teaching of Persian in Azerbaijan, he said:
"There is no need to explain how necessary it is to promote Iranian and Persian (Farsi-speaking?) culture in Azerbaijan and distance its people from non-Iranian (Turkish?) characteristics... Even though we have many capable teachers, I fear that teaching in Azerbaijan may be difficult. In any case, the approach should begin with teaching reading and writing in primary schools, and teachers should primarily communicate with students in Persian."
By adopting this policy, the government undermined Azerbaijan’s cultural roots. At the dawn of the Constitutional Revolution, Azerbaijan led the movement to establish modern schools and ranked first among Iranian provinces in this regard.
However, during Reza Shah's reign, due to chauvinistic educational policies, Azerbaijan lost its leading position and fell to second place after Tehran. By 1976, Azerbaijan ranked as the fourth province in the country, following Tehran, Fars, and Semnan.
By the late years of Mohammad Reza Shah's reign, Azerbaijan's literacy rates ranked mid-level among Iranian provinces. In other words, literacy in Azerbaijan was average relative to the rest of Iran. After the Islamic Revolution, due to the continuation of previous policies, the downward trend in educational performance and literacy ranking in Azerbaijan not only persisted but accelerated. A table based on data from the Planning and Budget Organization reflects this reality.
By 1986, East Azerbaijan ranked 20th among 24 provinces, and West Azerbaijan ranked 22nd. In 1996, among 26 provinces, East Azerbaijan ranked 19th, Zanjan 21st, Ardabil 22nd, and West Azerbaijan 24th. Notably, among the 13 provinces with the highest rankings, 10 had Persian as the predominant language.
Dr. Papoli Yazdi, in an article published in the Geography research journal, writes:
"Social justice, Islamic values, and the prevention of wastage in human and material resources dictate that we address the issue of language in education seriously. For regions with non-Persian languages, specific programs should be devised. This is not a new suggestion but a repetition of well-known facts. If a society aims to fully utilize its resources and avoid unnecessary expenditures on students who fail due to language barriers, it must find appropriate solutions to this fundamental issue and abandon the linguistic and ethnic homogenization policies typical of colonial and despotic regimes, which contradict Islamic values."