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In Iran, heated discussions about mother tongue education have been ongoing in the media and among political and cultural figures since last week.
The strongest opposition to the right to education in one's mother tongue has come from the Academy of Persian Language and Literature.
According to the semi-official Mehr News Agency, during a recent meeting of the Academy of Persian Language and Literature, the issue of mother tongue education was described as "a conspiracy planned by foreign states."
The mother tongue debates emerged after President Hassan Rouhani's advisor on ethnic and religious minority affairs, Ali Younesi, made statements on the issue last week. In his remarks, which were widely circulated in Iranian media, Younesi hinted that the issue of mother tongue education was being discussed within the government.
Groups advocating for the right of non-Persian populations to receive education in their own languages have noted that Ali Younesi did not address the issue concretely.
Tehran MP Zohreh Tabibzadeh, who opposes education in non-Persian languages, has claimed that promises regarding mother tongue education are populist statements aimed at appeasing various ethnic groups.
Although Ali Younesi's statements were not specific, they provoked a strong reaction from the Academy of Persian Language and Literature.
"Most members of the Academy are against the state-sponsored teaching of mother tongues in provinces where this issue has recently gained attention. Members of the Academy of Persian Language and Literature view the issue of mother tongue education as a serious threat to the Persian language and a conspiracy to diminish its importance," Mehr reported.
The Academy's strong stance has sparked widespread protests among non-Persian individuals and groups.
Some Azerbaijani activists advocating for the right to education in the Turkish language have described the Academy's reaction as expected. "It is not surprising to hear such words from them. These institutions have always approached issues based on racist ideologies," Gunaz TV noted on its website.
Discussions about mother tongue education continue in Iranian media and social networks.
Link to the original text in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
İranda ana dilində tədrislə bağlı debatlar davam edir