With the reopening of schools in Iran, cultural activists in Iranian Azerbaijan organized campaigns to distribute traditional Turkish books.
According to images and news shared by sources like Abbas Lisani’s Telegram channel on social media, in the past months, Turkish language rights activists and Traktor FC supporters in the Ardabil province distributed books to children in areas affected by a recent flood disaster.
The published images show activists gifting children in the villages of Germi, a city in Ardabil province, with not only books but also bags, drawing notebooks, and other supplies.
Previously, book distribution campaigns have been organized in various cities of Iranian Azerbaijan and Tehran to mark World Mother Language Day, the start of the new school year, and the anniversary of the Azerbaijani National Government (1945-46).
Except for the brief period of the Azerbaijani National Government, since the rise of the Pahlavis to power, mother tongue education has not been implemented in the schools of Iranian Azerbaijan.
During the Islamic Republic era, officials have repeatedly made promises and statements about teaching Turkish in schools, but this has never been realized in practice.
Since 2008, hundreds of Turkish activists who have organized and participated in International Mother Language Day events have been subjected to surveillance, imprisonment, and exile.
Link to the original text in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
İran Azərbaycanında mədəni fəallar məktəblərin açılması fonunda uşaqlara türk dilində kitab paylayır