Iranian Parliament Rejects Bill on "Teaching Ethnic and Local Literature" in Schools

February 26, 2025

Islamic Republic of Iran Parliament

With a majority vote of its members, the Iranian Parliament has rejected the "Teaching of Ethnic Literature" bill, which was proposed by the Education Commission and consisted of six articles.

According to Iran’s official news agency IRNA, the bill titled "Teaching of Ethnic Literature" was discussed in today's parliamentary session on February 26. Out of 246 participating deputies, the bill was rejected with 104 votes in favour, 130 against, and 5 abstentions, failing to gain approval for its general principles.

According to the parliamentary procedural rules, rejecting the general principles of a bill means that it will be removed from the agenda and its review will be halted.

The bill had been prepared by the Parliament’s Education Commission and was presented for discussion in the session.

Following the vote, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf announced that the bill’s general principles had not been approved and that it would not be reintroduced in Parliament for the next six months. He recommended that the Education Commission collaborate with the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution to draft a more comprehensive law.

The bill, which consisted of six articles and was presented by Alireza Monadi, a deputy from Tabriz, proposed that the "Teaching of Ethnic and Local Literature" be included as an elective course in two educational stages, with two hours of instruction per week. The course content was to be supervised by the Academy of Persian Language and Literature, and Persian would remain the primary language of instruction. Teachers delivering these lessons were also required to teach in Persian.

Government Opposes "Ethnic Literature" in Schools Despite Campaign Promise

One notable aspect of the discussion was the opposition expressed by Seyyed Kazem Delkhosh-Abatari, the government’s representative in Parliament. He argued that the bill contradicted Article 57 of the Iranian Constitution, which aims to prevent laws that impose additional financial burdens on the state.

Furthermore, he pointed out technical issues in the bill and indirectly emphasized that the country’s leadership also opposed it, stating, "The Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution, an institution valued by the Supreme Leader, is against this bill."

The opposition of the President’s representative in Parliament sparked criticism of the government, which had promised during the election campaign to adopt a more just approach to issues of ethnic, cultural, and linguistic diversity. Amid the criticism on social media, government representatives sought to clarify the position.

Masoud Pezeshkian, President of Iran, during the elections: "For the Sake of Education in the Mother Tongue"

The Deputy Parliamentary Affairs of the President announced that the President and the government support the teaching of mother tongues in schools.

Shahram Dabiri's message on X messenger read:

"The President and the government support the teaching of mother tongues in schools.

The proposal presented by the Parliament regarding the teaching of mother tongues has not been reviewed by the Cabinet, and the government representative opposed it without coordination and expressed his personal opinion. This issue has been one of the President's election slogans in various terms and is also emphasized in the Constitution.

Therefore, while announcing Dr. Pezeshkian’s agreement, if needed, we are ready to present an urgent government bill and kindly request the honorable representatives to approve this bill."

Emphasis on the Necessity of Preserving National Identity in the Proposal to Teach Local Languages

Ehsan Azimi Rad explained the proposal: Article 15 of the Constitution states that the official language and script of the country is Persian. All official documents and textbooks must be based on the Persian language. Article 15 also specifies that teaching the literature of ethnic and local languages alongside Persian in schools is allowed, meaning this proposal is fully in line with Article 15 of the Constitution and can be one of its requirements.

The spokesman for the Education and Research Commission of the Islamic Consultative Assembly emphasized that the goal of implementing this proposal is to preserve national identity and strengthen Islamic Iranian identity. Additionally, two hours of educational time in schools would be allocated to this proposal.

This Proposal Threatens National Unity

In opposition to the proposal for teaching ethnic and local literature in schools, Mohammad Mehdi Shahriari argued that it is not advisable under the current circumstances as it could threaten the country’s territorial integrity and national unity. He said, "While many countries teach ethnic and local languages, typically limited to a few groups, in our country, especially along the borders, various ethnic groups live. Some of these groups engage in anti-Iranian activities, and as a result, implementing this proposal could threaten the unity and cohesion of the country."

A member of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the Parliament continued, stating, "The infrastructure for education is not suitable for training teachers to teach ethnic and local languages. Our education system cannot accommodate these issues, as we would need to train new teachers for local language instruction, and given the limited budget for education, this is not feasible." The representative of Bojnurd in the Islamic Consultative Assembly added, finding it risky in the current political context, "Since there is no satisfaction within the country's governance system, this proposal should not be on the agenda."

We Should Not Act Hastily

In the continuation of the session, Behnam Saidi, opposing the general provisions of the bill, said: "Today, the priority of the education system should be to preserve the status and dignity of teachers, strengthen educational infrastructure, and address educational issues in underdeveloped areas. We should not allow such issues to disrupt the priorities of education, as we need to focus on our primary goals."

A member of the National Security Commission of the Parliament stated: "Teaching ethnic and local literature in schools could weaken the Persian language. On the other hand, it could harm our security. As seen in this proposal, no thorough expert work has been done on it. We must prevent actions that could harm the security of the country. This proposal may have advantages, but we should not act hastily."

There Is No Obstacle to Learning the Local Languages of Iranian Ethnic Groups

Morteza Koochakzadeh, also opposing the general provisions of the bill, said: "This proposal contradicts Articles 15 and 16 of the Constitution, as Article 15 states that the government can implement the teaching of ethnic and local courses in schools, but in Articles 2 and 4 of this proposal, the government is obliged to do so. Therefore, this contradicts Article 15."

A representative of Tehran in the Parliament stated: "There is no obstacle to learning the mother tongue and local language of Iranian ethnic groups. Throughout history, different ethnic groups have spoken their local languages in their places of residence, streets, and among their fellow citizens. However, insisting that the government be obliged to do so raises concerns that it might harm the country’s independence."

This Proposal Does Not Contradict the Persian

Some representatives spoke in favour of the proposal. Alireza Monadi Sefidan, in favour of the general provisions of the bill, said: "Our main language is Persian, and this proposal is designed in accordance with the Constitution."

The Chairman of the Education, Research, and Technology Commission of the Parliament emphasized: "This proposal does not contradict Persian. In our country, there are 80 languages, which are part of our national heritage. Unfortunately, 40 ethnic languages have already disappeared."

Other Cultures Also Have the Right to Exist

Moreover, Ruhollah Motefaker Azad, a representative from East Azerbaijan in the parliament, speaking in favor of the general provisions of the proposal, said: "This issue is not about language; it’s about cultures, ethnicities, and the literature of different ethnic groups. Our beautiful Iran is made up of various ethnicities, communities, and cultures. Why do some people refer to these ethnic groups as threats? Why fuel the enemy's propaganda and allow them to exploit separatist ideas?"

He added: "According to Article 15 of the Constitution, the official language of the country and its writing is Persian, but the Constitution also emphasizes that other cultures have the right to exist and must be preserved."

A member of the 12th Parliament stated: "Why do some people think that the national security is threatened over two elective units? The language and literature of our country are like a person, intertwined with each other, creating beauty."

Motefaker Azad said: "The Academy of the Persian Language and the Academy of Arts have responsibilities based on this proposal that they must fulfill. This is not just about the Turkish language; the Gilaks, Baluchs, Semnanians, Kermanians, Khuzestanis, and others all have their own cultures."

The 15th Article Should Not Be Viewed from a Security Perspective

Alireza Novin, another deputy from Tabriz, criticized government head Pezeshkian regarding the issue. The representative of Tabriz, Azarshahr, and Esko in the Islamic Consultative Assembly stated that the 15th Article of the Constitution should not be viewed from a security perspective.

Alireza Novin

According to Mehr News Agency, Alireza Novin, explaining why the proposal to teach Turkish and other ethnic languages of Iranians in schools was not approved, said: "In practice, the proposal for teaching the literature of ethnic and local languages, for two hours a week in schools, was put to a vote by the Education and Research Commission of the Parliament on Wednesday morning. Unfortunately, the government representative spoke against the proposal, and the majority of representatives, aligned with the government, did not approve the proposal."

He added: "It is a familiar issue for Azerbaijanis that all presidential candidates promise to implement Article 15 during elections, but after assuming office, they break their promises. At the very least, we expected that in the cabinet headed by Mr. Pezeshkian, the government representative in the Parliament would not speak against teaching Turkish and other ethnic languages of Iranians in schools."

The representative of Tabriz, Azarshahr, and Esko emphasized, "Iran is beautiful with all its cultures and ethnicities, and from the Sacred Defense to the Resistance Front, Turks, Persians, Kurds, Arabs, Lors, and others have defended their homeland side by side." He added that Article 15 of the Constitution reflects the ideals of the Islamic Revolution in safeguarding all languages and the identity of Iranian ethnic groups alongside the country's official language.

He reminded: "Article 15 should not be viewed from a security perspective, nor should we allow the exclusive approach of the Academy of the Persian Language and the Supreme Cultural Revolution Council to trample the rights of millions of Iranians. I thank my colleagues, Mr. Motahhari-Azad and Mr. Monadi, for their defense of this proposal. We raised our voices, but the government and the Parliament did not listen."


Additionally, he criticized what he called the "monopolistic" approach of the Academy of Persian Language and Literature and the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution, arguing that these two institutions should not be allowed to violate the rights of millions of Iranian citizens.

He thanked other deputies from Tabriz for supporting the bill and stated that neither the government nor Parliament wanted to hear their voices.

Parliament's Rejection of Two-Hour Weekly "Ethnic Literature" Elective Sparks Debates

This news has sparked widespread reactions among national activists, with many criticizing the government representative's opposition to the bill in Parliament.

Saeed Matinpour, journalist and language rights activist from Zanjan, tweeted:

"Until the end of the Qajar period, and officially until the mid-Pahlavi II era, Turkish was the primary language of the schools in Azerbaijan. Most of the poems in the divan of the last philosopher of the Qajar era, Hakim Hidji, are in Turkish, and... . But today, in the era of the Republic and with a thousand other claims, they make a circus for two hours of non-Persian literature classes."

Umud Mehdiani tweeted:

"I am very happy about the rejection of the proposal for two elective units of local and ethnic language literature. Because this proposal was officially a deceptive plan that did not address the real needs of non-Persian nations, but rather a big lie intended to deceive non-Persians, especially Turks. Turkish is not a local language! Turkish is a global language!"

Musa Ashofte, a Turkish language and ethnic rights activist from Iran, tweeted:

"Iran’s Parliament opposed the proposal for the elective teaching of non-Persian languages for two hours a week! Iranians may feel pleased with this exclusivity for now. However, with high probability, in the near future, due to de facto changes, they will regret missing out on these opportunities."

Article 15 of the Iranian Constitution allows for the teaching of ethnic and local languages. However, this constitutional article has yet to be implemented in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Link to the news sources relied upon in writing this news:
İran parlamenti "etnik dillərin ədəbiyyatının tədrisi" layihəsini rədd edib
مخالفت مجلس با کلیات طرح تدریس ادبیات زبان‌های محلی در مدارس
مجلس با طرح تدریس زبان‌های قومی و محلی در مدارس کشور مخالفت کرد
نوین: نباید به اصل ۱۵ با نگاه امنیتی نگریست
مخالفت نماینده دولت با تدریس ادبیات زبانهای قومی و محلی در مدارس
دولت موافق تدریس زبان مادری در مدارس است

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