Anadolu News Agency - December 8, 2021
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| Ahmad Naderi, Deputy Chair of the Education and Research Committee of Iran’s Parliament |
Ahmad Naderi, Deputy Chair of the Education and Research Committee of Iran’s Parliament, objected to the recent proposal by this committee concerning the teaching of ethnic and local literature in the country’s schools. He stated: “I consider the implementation of Article 15 of the Constitution, which was approved by the Education Committee, to be against national security, and I hope the Parliament Speaker and higher authorities address this issue.”
According to IRNA News Agency, Naderi claimed that approving this proposal would “disrupt the natural linguistic order in Iran.” He elaborated:
"For instance, society may historically have a natural and self-sustained order. In such cases, the law should preserve and extend this historical order, not disrupt it arbitrarily and create artificial and exhausting conflicts."
Regarding the process of approving this proposal in the Education and Research Committee, Naderi stated:
"I was on a work trip and not present in Parliament, nor was I informed about this proposal in advance to share my concerns with my colleagues. On Sunday, December 5, 2021, when I noticed the details of this proposal were on the committee’s agenda, I left the session in protest. However, I warned the colleagues present about the issue."
He continued:
"As I have said, Persian is the heritage of all Iranians and a critical pillar of Iranian identity. It is the duty of the government, Parliament, and the people to safeguard it. When the Leader of the Revolution explicitly stated that we must move in a way that anyone in the world wanting to access modern science feels the need to learn Persian, the responsibility of all policymakers in various domains is clear. His guidance and concerns must form the basis of all cultural and scientific actions. Moreover, in the current situation, various groups supported by Iran's adversaries aim to weaken Iran's national identity. We must all ensure that no law or policy inadvertently leads to the weakening of Iran’s national language."
Naderi’s opposition to this proposal comes as Alireza Monadi Sefidan, Chair of the Education and Research Committee, previously announced that the proposal for optional teaching of local and ethnic languages in each region had been approved by the committee and would soon be presented to the Parliament's public session.
Regarding the matter, Alireza Monadi Sefidan stated:
"The Ministry of Education is required to take measures starting from the 2023–2024 academic year to ensure that literature and local and ethnic languages relevant to each region are taught as two optional units (two hours per week) in grades seven and ten."
Monadi added that the first clause of this proposal pertains to the instruction of textbooks and educational materials at all levels, which must be in Persian language and style. He emphasized:
"According to this proposal, teachers must teach the content of textbooks in Persian."
He also mentioned that, according to the approved proposal, the determination of ethnic and local languages for each region would be the responsibility of the Academy of Persian Language and Literature and the Organization for Research and Educational Planning.
The link to the original article in Farsi on Anadolu Agency:
نماینده مجلس ایران: اجرای اصل 15 قانون اساسی خلاف امنیت ملی است