Ali Fatouti - Radio Zamaneh - November 11, 2014
On the evening of Saturday, November 8, a seminar titled "Mother Tongue Education and Citizenship Rights" was hosted by the "Rahavard Association" in Aachen, Germany. The speakers included Abdolkarim Lahiji, a lawyer and president of the International Federation for Human Rights Societies; Kazem Kardavani, a sociologist and researcher; Saeed Peyvandi, an education science specialist; and Golaleh Sharafkandi, a women's rights and Kurdish political activist. Cyrus Malakouti moderated the session.
Mother Tongue and International Law
Abdolkarim Lahiji was the first speaker at this seminar. He began by discussing his recent trip to the occupied Palestinian territories and then proceeded with the question of "Who is a citizen, and what does it mean to be a citizen?" According to Lahiji, “Citizenship is the relationship between a person and the city. Sometimes, the city is just a city; other times, it’s a region, such as European citizens who have rights in Europe based on living there. In some cases, citizenship is defined by the nation-state, where citizens have civil and political rights regardless of their culture or language.”
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| Abdolkarim Lahiji |
Lahiji added that two major international covenants are pertinent to citizenship rights: the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights. According to Lahiji, Article 27 of the Civil and Political Rights Covenant states that in countries with ethnic, religious, or linguistic minorities, these groups cannot be deprived of their rights. They have the right to maintain their cultural life, practice their religion, and use their language. Iran has accepted this covenant. Article 13 of the Cultural, Social, and Political Covenant also states that all member countries recognize the human right to education, which should ensure individual growth, guarantee human rights and freedoms, and prepare people to live harmoniously within society.
Lahiji continued, explaining that on May 16, 2007, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution requiring member states to follow a policy aimed not only at preserving the right to one's mother tongue but also at preserving languages under the state’s jurisdiction.
He then posed the question of whether the mother tongue is a natural right or a legal one. Lahiji argued that language is a right passed from mother to child. It is not a right given by the government or parliament but is inherent in the person and should be recognized by the government.
Lahiji further referred to the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran, citing Article 15, which states that the use of mother tongues is allowed, though it does not mandate implementation, meaning the government has no obligation to enforce it. He pointed out that Arabic, being the language of the Quran, is required to be taught after elementary school. Consequently, when it comes to the rights of a large portion of the people, the freedom of education is only available in principle, while the government's obligations are limited to the Arabic language alone.
The Relationship Between Mother Tongue, Education, and Learning
The second speaker at this seminar, Saeed Peyvandi, an education specialist and assistant professor at the University of Paris, began by sharing UNESCO’s definition of the mother tongue. According to this definition, the first language a child learns and uses to communicate is recognized as their mother tongue. For children in bilingual environments, this means they effectively have two mother tongues.
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| Saeed Peyvandi |
According to Peyvandi, sociological research shows that identity formation, individuality, and the way a person relates to culture are closely tied to their mother tongue. Based on this, the global community has accepted that language is part of the cultural wealth of any society. He further noted that the United Nations' declaration of International Mother Language Day aims to highlight the fact that many of the world’s 6,700 languages are endangered, largely because these languages are not integrated into educational systems, which threatens their survival.
Peyvandi explained that, worldwide, when languages are not put into writing or included in academic settings, they are left behind in the race for civilization and progress, ultimately becoming extinct and seen as irrelevant. He added that one factor weakening smaller languages is the rise of dominant languages like English and other global languages; currently, 90% of scientific literature is written in these languages.
Peyvandi argued that the issue of language is not just cultural; according to Foucault, there is a connection between knowledge and power, and language cannot be separated from power relations. He explained that those proficient in both national and international languages hold greater power.
Peyvandi went on to describe three main approaches to mother tongue issues globally. The first is selecting and imposing a single language on all citizens, a practice seen in many countries, which marginalizes other languages. The second approach involves recognizing linguistic diversity and allowing mother tongue education. The third approach is offering citizens the option to be educated in their mother tongue, as seen in countries like India, Spain, Switzerland, and Belgium, which follow this model. Highlighting the importance of language in learning, Peyvandi stated, “Learning is closely related to one's relationship with language. Our emotional and intellectual connections with words and language shape our memory, which works better and lasts longer when we are interested in what we are learning.”
In closing, Peyvandi noted, “Statistics show that provinces where Persian is not the mother tongue have lower educational coverage and higher illiteracy rates.” He pointed out that approximately 25 million people are deprived of their natural right to mother tongue education. Peyvandi concluded, “Mother tongue education is part of Iran's legitimate and democratic demands.”
Alienation and Distancing from the Mother Tongue
Golaleh Sharafkandi, a women’s rights activist and a member of the Central Committee of the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan, was the next speaker at the seminar. Her speech focused primarily on social aspects, as well as her personal experiences from childhood and her initial encounter with education in a non-native language.
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| Golaleh Sharafkandi |
Sharafkandi recounted her first experience of schooling at age six in a language other than her mother tongue, which led to feelings of alienation and fear over how to handle and confront this challenge. According to Sharafkandi, as a child facing non-native language education, her social identity and future were immediately called into question.
She said, “Fear of this issue erodes self-confidence because I feel that my language lacks prestige.” Sharafkandi explained that her need to put in twice the effort to understand and grasp knowledge made comparisons unfair and unequal. She added that in Iran, the policy is one of forced assimilation, though other models are possible. She noted that individual identity in Iran is framed within the concept of an Islamic community, but the language of science is not everyone’s mother tongue. Even if one has the freedom to learn it, it’s ineffective when the language lacks prestige.
Sharafkandi drew a parallel between the experiences of Iranian migrants in Germany and what happens in Iranian Kurdistan, suggesting a similar experience of alienation. She concluded by emphasizing the right to learn in one’s mother tongue, the right to use it in learning scientific concepts alongside Persian, and the importance of comparing one’s understanding in the mother tongue with that in Persian.
A Specialized Perspective on Education in the Mother Tongue
The final speaker at the seminar "Mother Tongue Education and Citizenship Rights" was Kazem Kardavani. He began by asking, "Why is education in the mother tongue important at all?" Kardavani argued that while the topic may have political dimensions, it must first be addressed in terms of the society’s expertise and resources. He explained that comparing this issue with other countries is misleading, as Iranian society is a collective space for all minorities and therefore distinct.
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| Kazem Kardavani |
Kardavani structured his talk into three main points: the status of the Persian language, the significance of mother tongue education, and opposition to mother tongue education in Iran. He pointed out that Persian has been the written language for the past 1,100 years and has served as the cultural language, stating, "Persian, with three millennia of history in the subcontinent of Asia, was not forcibly imposed on Iran; rather, it has been a language of mutual understanding." Kardavani clarified that he was speaking about written language, noting that no spoken language has ever been prohibited in Iran, and that almost all regions of Iran show differences between spoken and written language. "Persian is neither ethnic nor geographical; it is a cultural and historical reality of our society," he asserted.
He went on to say, "Mother tongue education is a right, and if our society is to move away from a system based on privilege and entitlement, this right must be recognized as essential." According to Kardavani, "In the intellectual development of both individuals and society, language is the vessel of thought, and this must be acknowledged universally."
Kardavani defined mother tongue education as education in one’s native language from the first grade through university. He then questioned how many languages in Iran meet the conditions necessary to support such an education. He argued that, given the lack of written support for other languages in Iran comparable to Persian, students educated solely in their mother tongues would have limited depth in their knowledge, potentially leading to an increase in illiteracy.
Kardavani identified localism as a third consequence of mother tongue education in today’s Iranian society, which he felt could inhibit individual and societal growth and restrict people’s participation in social activities.
In conclusion, Kardavani acknowledged the need to recognize the right to education in one’s mother tongue but stressed, "My entire argument is that we must acknowledge this right, yet discuss it based on the tangible realities of our own society."
At the end of the seminar, several participants shared their thoughts and posed questions to the speakers. The conference concluded with a performance of Azerbaijani music.
Link to the original text in Farsi: https://www.radiozamaneh.com/187012