Deutsche Welle Persian - January 28, 2014
Ali Asghar Fani, Iran's Minister of Education, announced the formation of a "think tank" to discuss the details of teaching mother tongues in various provinces. However, this promise by Hassan Rouhani has faced strong opposition from members of the Academy of Persian Language and Literature.
On Monday (January 27, 2014), Ali Asghar Fani, Minister of Education in Rouhani’s government, met with members of the Academy of Persian Language and Literature. The meeting addressed various issues related to education, including “mother tongue education” in Iran’s ethnic regions.
Teaching mother tongues in different provinces was one of Hassan Rouhani’s campaign promises during the June 2013 presidential election. This issue is also stipulated in Article 15 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Regarding mother tongue education, the Minister stated, “In accordance with Article 15 of the Constitution, the teaching of local and ethnic literature must take place, and the President also made this promise during his campaign speeches.”
Fani added, “To this end, we have formed a committee to address the issue. Additionally, a think tank has been established, and individuals have been invited to collaborate on this effort.”
The Minister’s statements were met with sharp criticism and negative reactions from members of the Academy of Persian Language and Literature. Most academy members opposed teaching mother tongues in schools, describing it as a “serious threat to Persian and a conspiracy to diminish the language.”
Some academy members even labeled the initiative a “foreign conspiracy,” attributing it to external forces, including “England.” Others interpreted the government’s attention to mother tongue education as a move aimed at achieving “partisan victories.”
“Smells Like a Conspiracy”
According to Mehr News Agency, Mohammad Ali Movahed, a member of the Academy, briefly stated, “The government should refrain from direct intervention in teaching local and native languages. We have a standard language, which is our official language. If the government neglects it and enters the realm of local languages, our situation will worsen.”
Salim Nissari, another Academy member, commented, “Some think love for an ethnicity equates to learning in its language. But this is highly dangerous. In Iran, we’ve been fortunate to have a great Ferdowsi, who established a strong foundation for the Persian language. Today, alongside Islam, we take pride in this language.”
Fathollah Mojtabaei, another Academy member, called the idea of mother tongue education an “imported matter” and said, “I have no doubt this concept came from abroad. Previously, this issue was promoted by England in India, and now England and countries to our north aim to introduce it to Iran.”
He added, “The best way to hold a nation back is to disregard its language. If we aim to use our mother tongues as scientific and educational languages, we will undoubtedly regress, and this is dangerous. This smells like a conspiracy.”
Gholamali Haddad-Adel, the head of the Academy, referred to discussions by Ali Younesi, Rouhani’s advisor on ethnic and minority affairs, and questioned the government’s handling of mother tongue education. He said, “The Academy would like to know how this complex and sensitive issue, which is sometimes tied to national security, is being reviewed.”
Haddad-Adel warned, “Let’s be cautious not to spend national treasures like the Persian language for fleeting and meaningless partisan victories.”
Teaching Mother Tongues vs. Teaching in Mother Tongues
The issue of “teaching mother tongues” fundamentally differs from “teaching in mother tongues.” However, these two distinct matters seem to have been conflated by Academy members, leading to misunderstandings.
What Hassan Rouhani promised was the implementation of Article 15 of the Constitution, which involves “teaching mother tongues” in ethnic regions. Article 15 of the Iranian Constitution states, “The official and common language and script of the people of Iran is Persian. Official documents, correspondence, and texts, as well as school textbooks, 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.”
If implemented, this promise would mean that one or two hours of the weekly school curriculum for students in ethnic regions would be dedicated to learning the rules of reading and writing in their mother tongues.
Supporters of mother tongue education argue that ethnic languages are part of the cultural and national heritage of Iranians. By teaching these languages to children, the destruction of this intangible heritage can be prevented. They assert that such lessons in schools would not harm the teaching of Persian, the national language of Iranians.
The link to the original article in Farsi on Deutsche Welle Persian:
مخالفت فرهنگستان با آموزش زبانهای مادری در ایران