Iran Bans Bilingual Education

The Iranian Ministry of Education banned private schools from teaching in languages other than Persian, the national language, on March 10.

“We have no legislation to oversee the activities of bilingual private schools,” said Mojtaba Zeynivand, the head of the private schools department at the Ministry of Education, as reported by the Islamic Republic of Iran News Network.  “Therefore, the actions of schools falling under this umbrella are illegal.”

In recent years, numerous private schools in Iran have promoted bilingual curriculums via advertising, including billboards. The schools highlighted the value of bilingual teaching, saying the practice was a “modern” approach to learning that incorporated “international” teaching styles.   

Private bilingual institute Sama School is affiliated to the Islamic Azad University, and has a number of schools around the country. The school champions teaching in multiple languages, familiarizing pupils with several international languages “to the extent that they can use Persian and English equally and fluently in their daily lives.” At the same time, the school emphasizes the importance and value of Persian.

“Iranian bilingual schools don’t follow traditional teaching methods and only parts of their curriculums are in English,” said the school, adding that there were some curriculums taught in English only.

“Considering the reality of today’s world, the school regards its pupils as global citizens and thus prepares them for a competitive life on an international scale so that they can achieve their religious, personal and social goals.” The school’s spokesperson said it was a shame that “teaching Persian language and literature is not taken seriously.”

Bilingual schools adopt a variety of names across Iranian cities, especially in the Greater Tehran Area. Many of the schools segregate boys and girls, teaching them in separate educational facilities.

Read the original article in Persian