Voices of South Azerbaijan: Non-Persian children will take the "Persian language proficiency test"

Non-Persian children will take the "Persian language proficiency test"

VOA - May 30, 2019

Rezvan Hakimzadeh

Iran’s Ministry of Education has announced that the "Persian language proficiency test" will be added to the regular health tests conducted for preschool children.

According to the ISNA news agency, this plan was brought to the agenda of the Ministry of Education following statements by Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, emphasizing the importance of learning the Persian language.

Rizvan Hakimzadeh, Deputy Minister of Primary Education, said, “We hope to carry out health tests for children two years before they enter school. Currently, 5-year-old and, to some extent, 4-year-old children can also take these tests.”

Hakimzadeh expressed that the "Persian language proficiency test" would be useful not only for children with learning difficulties but also for children from bilingual (non-Persian) regions.

Recently, Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had expressed concerns about the "erosion" of the Persian language.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei recently demanded that state institutions pay more attention to the Persian language.

According to ISNA, the Ministry of Education’s current plan has been proposed in line with the Supreme Leader’s directives regarding the Persian language.

In response to the Ministry of Education’s statements, Turkish language rights defenders argue that "this plan is intended to force families to speak Persian with their children from a young age."

Link to the original text in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
Qeyri-fars uşaqlar ‘farsca yetərlilik testi’-ndən keçəcəklər

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