Mehr News Agency - 27 January, 2014
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| A group photo of the members of the Academy of Persian Language and Literature |
The majority of members of the Academy of Persian Language and Literature expressed opposition to the Ministry of Education's recent announcement about teaching mother tongues in the provinces. They described this initiative as a serious threat to the Persian language and a conspiracy aimed at diminishing its prominence.
According to a Mehr News correspondent, Hojjatoleslam Mohyeddin Bahram Mohammadian, Head of the Educational Research and Planning Organization, spoke today (Monday, February 26) during a meeting between the Minister of Education and the president and members of the Persian Language Academy. He emphasized the need for officially allocated time in school curricula for conversation, reading, and composition. He noted that previously, Persian language and literature was taught as a four-hour course in schools, incorporating composition. However, in a new plan awaiting approval by the Supreme Council of Education, composition and reading have been proposed as independent subjects.
Hojjatoleslam Mohammadian also addressed the issue of Persian script, stating, “We are committed to adhering to the Persian Language Academy's standards in this regard, and I am personally insistent on this matter. However, there have been exceptions where the Academy granted permissions. Additionally, to promote Persian in textbooks, we have removed 800 foreign words, particularly from science textbooks, and submitted them to the Academy for review. We hope they will soon provide equivalent Persian terms, although some authors have independently chosen terms due to pressing needs during the writing process.”
He also highlighted the importance of editing, stating, “All textbooks undergo editing, but at times, workload pressures cause us to overlook certain aspects. Nevertheless, if an editing error is identified, the editor is penalized. However, I believe some editing matters depend on the editor's discretion.”
The head of the Educational Research and Planning Organization added, “I am not claiming that all 1,150 textbook titles are flawless, but our priority is to improve our newest textbooks, and we require your assistance.”
He also presented several requests to the Persian Language Academy, saying, “I would like the Academy to inform us of any scientific studies they have conducted on the methodology of teaching Persian and to provide a guideline on this matter. In recent years, we have authored textbooks for Afghanistan, although there were some disagreements with our Afghan colleagues. Ultimately, we concluded that there is no definitive and reliable text for teaching Persian.”
Hojjatoleslam Mohammadian also mentioned publishing primary school textbooks in Tajikistan, noting, “Currently, Tajikistan has asked us to author and publish its primary education textbooks. However, my question is, what support will we receive in this regard? We have negotiated with the Islamic Culture and Relations Organization, but we achieved no results. We hope the Academy can assist us, especially since agreements between the Minister of Education and other countries and organizations often include teaching Persian, but we lack a systematic approach for doing so.”
He concluded, “The evolutionary process of teaching Persian in Iran is another critical matter for us, and we wonder why no study has been conducted on it.”
The Standard of Persian Language Education: The Persian Standard Language
Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel, president of the Persian Language Academy, commented on Mohammadian's remarks, stating, “In our country, the education of sciences is not taken seriously. Teaching Persian to non-native speakers is one of our main programs at the Saadi Foundation. The Islamic Culture and Relations Organization has allocated 11 individuals to teaching Persian to non-native speakers in past years, whereas we have dedicated 200 individuals to this purpose at the Saadi Foundation, along with an education and research department.”
He added, “Specifically in response to Mr. Mohammadian, our standard for teaching Persian is the Persian standard language. Other languages also have their places, but the language to be taught is Persian.”
Negative Reactions to Teaching Local Languages
Mohammad Ali Moaddab, another member of the Academy, briefly addressed the government’s recent initiative to teach local and regional languages, stating, “The government should refrain from directly intervening in teaching local and indigenous languages. We have a standard language, which is our official language. If the government neglects this and focuses on local languages, we will be in trouble.”
A Sad View on Reading and Writing
Houshang Moradi Kermani, another member, criticized the lack of appealing reading materials in schools, saying, “Students in schools are not inherently averse to reading; the problem lies in the unappealing materials selected for school libraries based on narrow preferences.”
He added, “Many publishers complain that the Ministry of Education purchases surplus, authorless books that have not sold, which is regrettable.”
Obsession with Entrance Exams
Hossein Masoumi Hamedani, another Academy member, said, “For years, success in our education system has been defined as passing entrance exams. Today's students have no time to read; everything revolves around entrance exams. When asked about the importance of composition, their response is, ‘How will this help me pass the exam?’ And the answer they hear is, ‘It won’t.’”
He emphasized the need for students to practice writing across all disciplines.
Focus on Research Rather than Teaching Local Languages
Mohammad Dabir-Moqaddam, another Academy member, stressed the importance of research on local languages instead of teaching them. “Many of these languages have multiple dialects. Choosing one for teaching purposes would undoubtedly create many problems.”
Setting Limits for Mother Tongue Education
Bahā’-al-Din Khoramshāhi added, “The government must define the scope of mother tongue education, specifying its extent and methods.”
The Danger of Ethnic Language Education
Salim Nissari said, “Some people equate love for an ethnic group with learning its language, but this is very dangerous. In Iran, we were fortunate to have Ferdowsi, who established a solid foundation for Persian. Alongside Islam, we take pride in this language.”
He warned against creating numerous problems by mishandling the issue of mother tongue education.
Mother Tongue Education: A Conspiracy?
Fathollah Mojtabaei, another Academy member, labeled the matter of mother tongue education as an imported issue, stating, “I am certain this concept has been brought into Iran from abroad. It was previously experienced in India under British influence. Today, it is countries like Britain and those in our northern region that seek to introduce this matter into Iran.”
He concluded, “Ignoring a nation's language is the best tool for keeping it backward. If we use mother tongues as scientific or educational languages, we will undoubtedly regress to the past. This is dangerous, and it smells like a conspiracy.”
At the end of the meeting, Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel emphasized, “We must ensure that we do not squander national treasures like the Persian language for fleeting and fruitless political gains.”
The link to the original article in Farsi on Mehr News Agency:
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