Addition of Kurdish Section to Persian Literature Textbook in Kurdistan

The Director General of Education in Kurdistan Province announced that starting next year, a Kurdish section will be added to the Persian literature textbook for the second cycle of high school in this province. According to ISNA news agency, Rashid Ghorbani stated on Wednesday, August 28, "With the permission we have received from the Ministry of Education, about one-third of the Persian literature book for the first to third grades of the second cycle of high school will be dedicated to Kurdish content." He reported that the materials for this section are currently being "prepared and compiled" and predicted that it would be included in the Persian literature textbook for students in Kurdistan Province starting next academic year. Previously, Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, announced on Monday, August 5, at the end of his visit to Kurdistan Province, that the teaching of Kurdish language and literature would begin in the coming academic year through the establishment of relevant chairs in the universities of Kurdistan Province. Meanwhile, the President of Kurdistan University also announced on August 7 that this university would enroll 40 students this year to study Kurdish language and literature. According to ISNA news agency, Fardin Akhlaghian stated that the selection of professors and educational resources for this field would be conducted by a nine-member council consisting of professors from the Faculty of Literature and Language at Kurdistan University. In this regard, Mohammad Ghorban Kiani, the head of the Islamic Azad University branch in Sanandaj, also previously announced that Kurdish language would be taught next year as part of two elective units at this university. According to Article 15 of the Iranian Constitution, "The official and common language and script of the people of Iran is Persian. Official documents, correspondence, and textbooks must be in this language and script, but the use of local and ethnic languages in the press and media, as well as the teaching of their literature in schools, alongside Persian, is permitted." During the presidential election campaign, Hassan Rouhani emphasized the respect for the rights of ethnic groups, religions, and sects in Iran in a ten-point statement and made promises in this regard. The official teaching of the mother tongue of ethnic groups in schools and universities and the appointment of "qualified local" individuals to management positions were among Mr. Rouhani's promises in this statement.