January 27, 2014
 |
| Hojatoleslam Alireza Salimi, a member of the Education and Research Committee of Iran's Parliament. |
A Member of the Iranian Parliament's Education and Research Committee Criticizes the Discussion on Teaching Ethnic Languages
Hojatoleslam Salimi, a member of the Iranian Parliament's Education and Research Committee, criticized the discussion surrounding the teaching of ethnic languages in Iran during an interview with the ILNA news agency on Monday, January 27, 2014, stating: "We do not believe that teaching ethnic languages is one of the country's important issues."
Alireza Salimi added: "The Constitution has addressed the matter of teaching ethnic languages, and the issue is clear and defined."
He was referring to Article 15 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran, which states:
"Article 15: The official and common language and script of the people of Iran is Persian. Official documents, correspondence, texts, and schoolbooks must be in this language and script. However, the use of local and ethnic languages in the press, mass media, and teaching their literature in schools, alongside Persian, is permitted."
This constitutional article has not been implemented in practice, but activists from various ethnic groups in Iran have consistently demanded its enforcement by successive Iranian governments. During last year’s presidential election in Iran, this demand turned into a national issue, and Hassan Rouhani, the current president, included the implementation of ethnic language education as part of his campaign promises. After winning the election, Rouhani reiterated his commitment to this promise multiple times.
Based on this, Rouhani's Minister of Education, Ali Asghar Fani, also promised to include the teaching of ethnic languages on his agenda. However, it seems that raising this issue has been unwelcome to some segments of Iran's conservative and traditional factions, prompting them to take a stance against it.
In his interview, Salimi linked the issue of teaching ethnic languages in Iran to what he described as "threats," stating:
"We do not believe that teaching ethnic languages is one of the country's important issues. Of course, it is not that the issue is unimportant, but considering the threats the country faces, is the matter of teaching ethnic languages so critical that we must focus on it?"
He added that such issues should not be handled politically, stating:
"The Constitution is the best covenant for addressing this issue, and there is no need to handle matters that are already outlined in the Constitution in such a manner."
Salimi also remarked: "The Constitution has addressed the matter of teaching ethnic languages, and the issue is clear and defined. There is no ambiguity or problem that requires such an approach."
When asked why teaching ethnic languages has not been implemented so far, he replied:
"What is stated in the Constitution must be pursued by officials to ensure its implementation. Regarding the teaching of ethnic languages, the necessary efforts must be made to put it into effect."
The link to Salimi's interview on ILNA:
عضو کمیسیون آموزش وتحقیقات در گفتوگو با ایلنا؛ قانون اساسی در مورد آموزش زبان اقوام تعیین تکلیف کرده است