By Taher Shir-Mohammadi - Deutsche Welle Persian - 18 September 2009
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| Education in the Mother Tongue is the Dream of Many [Linguistically Marginalized] Iranians. |
International law and Iran's constitution recognize the right to education in one’s mother tongue. However, nearly three decades after the adoption of constitutional provisions, thousands of Iranian children still lack the opportunity to study in their native language.
Hopes for a New School Year
Yousef Kor, a language researcher studying the Turkmen alphabet, explains the aspirations of some Iranian children:
"The new school year begins again for hundreds of thousands of Iranian students with the hope of studying in their mother tongue. A hope that remains unfulfilled but still alive."
The Demands of Ethnic Groups
What are the demands of ethnic groups in this new school year? Dr. Ahmad Omid Yazdani, author of the Comprehensive German-Azerbaijani Dictionary and head of the "Academicians of Germany-Azerbaijan," shared his perspective with Deutsche Welle:
"Our demand is that on the first day of school, our children can study in their mother tongue. We want our language, literature, and cultural values to flourish in Iran. We call for theater, cinema, newspapers, and radio and television programming in our native language, and for the release of those young people imprisoned and tortured in the Islamic Republic of Iran for defending their linguistic and cultural freedom."
Language Education in Universities
The recent presidential elections and subsequent protests regarding the results have, according to experts like Yousef Kor, brought renewed attention to the linguistic demands of ethnic groups. Kor refers to a directive from the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution regarding teaching two units of ethnic languages at universities:
"The administration now headed by Ahmadinejad, in competition with the Green Movement, decided to offer one optional course in minority languages at universities. However, this decision was not driven by a genuine recognition of ethnic linguistic rights but as a political maneuver against Mehdi Karroubi and Mir-Hossein Mousavi."
Kor remains skeptical about the implementation of this directive, pointing out that it only applies to universities and not elementary schools.
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| Yousef Kor: The government must finally take action to preserve the languages of ethnic groups. |
Universities Unaware of the Directive
Many experts welcomed the directive from the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution before the start of the school year, hoping it would be implemented. However, three months later, many universities remain unaware of the decision. For example, Abolfazl Ranjbar, president of Golestan University, told the Mehr news agency:
"We are unaware of the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution’s directive regarding teaching two units of local languages and dialects at universities, and this directive has not been communicated to Golestan University."
According to Kor, the failure to implement this directive and constitutional provisions on education in one’s mother tongue remains a significant challenge for governments in Iran.
The Decline of Languages and the Threat of National Disintegration
Insafali Hedayat, a journalist familiar with ethnic issues, argues that the prohibition of ethnic languages in schools has had negative consequences, including increased separatist tendencies among ethnic groups. He states:
"Linguistic demands in Iran’s ethnic regions have intensified, particularly in recent years. Separatist tendencies have grown significantly among these groups. They demand equal rights and mutual respect. When these demands are not met, they seek solutions to determine their destiny, preserve their language, history, and religion. When Iran denies them these rights, they are compelled to turn to separatist ideas to reclaim their collective ethnic and national identity."
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| Ensefali Heydat, journalist: Education in one's mother tongue is a fundamental human right. |
A Solution to the Language Crisis
Hedayat, who has written extensively on resolving linguistic issues, sees the recognition of ethnic linguistic rights as the key solution:
"The first step is for all political activists, parties, and organizations that envision Iran as a united nation to recognize all languages of the country's nationalities equally, without prioritizing any one language. This would eliminate notions of racial superiority, which are condemned globally and unacceptable in today’s world. Second, we must call on the Iranian government and officials to implement the constitutional provisions concerning linguistic rights. Third, Iranian organizations advocating for the linguistic rights of the country’s ethnic groups must be established."
Experts believe that education in native languages in ethnic regions is not merely a simple demand but a significant challenge for Iran’s government and society. It is an issue that could affect not just the future of a segment of students but the fate of the entire country.
Editor: Mostafa Malekan
The link to the original article in Farsi on Deutsche Welle Persian:
آغاز سال تحصیلی و زبان اقوام