Approval of Teaching Seven Foreign Languages in Schools: 'Mandatory' Education and 'Optional' Selection

According to a new decision by the Ministry of Education, teaching one of the seven languages approved by the Islamic Republic will be 'mandatory', while the choice of language will be 'optional'. The Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Education has stated that institutions can teach Chinese and other languages to students as foreign languages in schools. Mahmoud Amani Tehrani added that the addition of new languages has begun based on the demand of the Research and Planning Organization of Education. He stated that the selection of a foreign language is 'mandatory', but the type of language is 'optional', and the title of the foreign language can also change; previously, English, French, German, and Italian were included, and now Arabic and Chinese have been added. In response to whether the teaching of foreign languages other than English will be free or not, the Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Education said, 'We did not enter into the executive levels in this resolution' and left the decision on whether it will be free or not to the 'executive measures of the Ministry of Education'. Hassan Maleki, head of the Education Organization of the Ministry of Education, reported on Wednesday, August 4, 2021, to the ISNA news agency about the limited experimental teaching of German and French in the seventh grade. According to this official, there were also 'challenges', the most important of which was 'providing teachers for implementation and teaching'. These statements and actions were put on the agenda after Ali Khamenei criticized the insistence on teaching English in schools in 2016, calling it 'unhealthy' and a 'legacy of the Pahlavi era'. Khamenei, in a meeting with a group of school teachers on May 2, 2016, suggested teaching Spanish, French, or German instead of English, and even proposed languages from 'advanced Eastern' countries such as Chinese and Japanese. Khamenei criticized the 'exclusive promotion of the English language' in Iran, deeming it unhealthy and stating, 'Now it has reached a point where English is being taught to kindergartens.' Ahmad Mahmoudzadeh, Deputy Minister of Education, stated in April of this year that the content of language textbooks will be revised according to Khamenei's 'view' and 'in accordance with the culture, civilization, and customs of Iran'. Fars news agency quoted him as saying, 'The design of the indigenous model of foreign language learning' will be such that the influence of 'hidden values and cultures' of the foreign language being learned is minimized. Mahmoudzadeh stated that language textbooks will be designed so that 'conversations, images, or anything else presented will be entirely in accordance with Iranian Islamic culture.' He added, without naming a specific language, that according to the views of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic and to 'break the monopoly of the English language', other languages will also be included in the curriculum led by non-governmental schools. On July 7, it was announced that according to the resolution of the Supreme Council of Education, in line with the implementation of the Fundamental Transformation Document, the Ministry of Education is allowed to teach Arabic, French, German, Italian, Russian, Spanish, and Chinese in addition to English. The Deputy Minister of Education: Language books will be changed 'according to the views' of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic. Planning by the Ministry of Education for the establishment of non-English foreign language classes. The reaction of Rouhani to Ayatollah Khamenei: The choice of foreign language in schools depends on the people's wishes and the government's capabilities.