Sara Damavandan - Voice of America (Farsi) - February 21, 2022
 |
| Imprisonment and Persecution: One of the Challenges of Teaching Mother Tongues in Iran |
In the global calendar, February 21, is designated by UNESCO as International Mother Language Day.
This day aims to promote multilingualism as a vital tool for social relations and global development. This year, UNESCO identified using technology for language learning as one of its goals. According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, improving the quality of education and learning through educational technology is a pathway toward promoting multilingual education worldwide.
However, many activists advocating for mother language education in Iran face various challenges, making this journey fraught with risks.
Despite the explicit provisions of Article 27 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and Article 15 of the Iranian Constitution, many activists involved in mother language education are accused of acting against national security and bear significant costs to preserve and advance mother language education.
Zahra (Zar) Mohammadi, a civil activist with a master’s degree in geopolitics, has encountered numerous obstacles in her efforts to teach the Kurdish language. For 12 years, she volunteered to teach in Kurdish in Sanandaj and surrounding villages. In June 2019, she was arrested, and in July 2020, she was sentenced to 10 years in prison on charges of “forming a group against national security.” This sentence was later reduced to five years in an appeals court.
Nonetheless, Zahra has not abandoned her cause. She states, “The mother tongue is one of our most fundamental rights, and we will not compromise on it. Our organization took the lead in securing this right, and I hope our activities will bring down the hostility against these rights.”
To what extent can education in the mother tongue contribute to the growth and development of students? Mitra Beik, an education expert in Iran, offers an answer.
She identifies language as the primary tool for communication. In response to the question of how mother language education impacts students' confidence and mental well-being, she tells Voice of America, “Many children entrusted to us for education feel insecurity, a lack of confidence, and fear when they first enter the social environment of a school because they have been speaking their mother tongue or local language at home. This can be very harmful.”
Beik emphasizes the importance of incorporating mother languages into education, adding, “Having educators familiar with local or native languages in educational centers can significantly enhance students’ confidence and accelerate learning for those who are not fluent in Persian. This is an essential principle in education.”
Meanwhile, on Monday, February 21, coinciding with International Mother Language Day, the Iranian Writers Association released a statement condemning the suppression of diverse languages in Iran. The statement described the extinction of any language as a threat to the spiritual lives of its speakers and a loss to humanity’s historical heritage.
Research points to the existence of 76 living languages in Iran. However, around 20 languages and dialects in the country are on the brink of extinction.
The link to the original article in Farsi on VOA Persian:
روز جهانی زبان مادری؛ مسیر ناهموار و پرخطر آموزش آن در ایران