.jpg) |
| Mohammad Rahmanifar |
Mohammad Rahmanifar, a writer and cultural activist from Tabriz, recently commented on the "Persian language proficiency test" project introduced by the Iranian Ministry of Education. Rahmanifar states that with this new project, they aim for "the official language to invade even private spaces, such as homes."
According to Rahmanifar, "They want families to be forced to stop speaking their native language at home in order for their children to pass the test. Until now, the native language only existed in private spaces, i.e., at home. But now, this official language, Persian, is invading homes as well."
In addition to cultural and social activists from non-Persian communities, some local politicians and several members of parliament have also strongly reacted to the Ministry of Education's new project.
During these debates, there were reports in the Iranian media that Education Minister Seyyed Mohammad Bathaei had resigned.
Rahmanifar believes the resignation of the minister is not related to the "Persian language proficiency test" or his previous actions that concern non-Persian communities.
The writer draws attention to the strange and unclear statements published in the media regarding the resignation, saying, "His resignation is definitely not related to the education issues of non-Persian children. Because this minister had previously undertaken similar actions. Despite widespread protests, he neither faced a parliamentary inquiry nor took the criticisms seriously."
 |
| Sayyid Mohammad Bathayi |
Since the early weeks of his appointment as Minister of Education, Mohammad Bathaei has caused unrest among non-Persian communities and women due to his statements and the projects introduced by his ministry.
During his tenure, one regulation was introduced stating that "those with difficult Persian dialects" would not be allowed to become primary school teachers, and "women with no children" would not be allowed to teach at all. Later, Bathaei’s statements about "the dangerousness of some teachers speaking in ‘local languages’" in non-Persian regions made headlines. Under his ministry, preparations for making two years of preschool education mandatory for children in non-Persian areas, including Tehran, also began.
While Rahmanifar confirms that the restrictions against non-Persian languages increased during Bathaei’s term, he states that in general, Bathaei’s actions have continued the policies implemented in the past.
"I don’t see the policies pursued during this minister’s term as very different. I see them as a continuation of past policies. But I acknowledge that since Bathaei took office, Persian nationalism has strengthened in our education system, and the base of native languages has shrunk even more," says the cultural activist.
According to him, "In the past, our presidents, especially during their first terms, tried to keep non-Persians content with certain promises. Because in the second term, they need the votes of Kurds, Turks, Turkmens, and Arabs. But in the second term of the presidency, they no longer need this. In Iran, parties do not enter elections to ensure their credibility... Therefore, it doesn’t matter, for example, if Rouhani thinks that the Turks are dissatisfied with him."
Link to the original interview in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
Məhəmməd Rəhmanifər: Uşaqların evdə də ana dilində danışmasını istəmirlər